My Own
by Animelover133
Summary: Sora is outcast, living alone on a deserted island due to having no Blood Dragon marking like everyone else. Forced to survive on his own, he wishes for nothing more then that special marking that would finally give him what he wants most: pride, acceptance and...a dear friend to call his own. SoRiku and maybe more pairings.
1. Chapter 1

**Alright, this is the new one I was talking about. I'm going to upload a chapter tomorrow as well and maybe the next day, but let's see if you guys like this one as much as my other ones. I may just give this one a few days and see the results I get, but I don't know. I'll just see what happens and hope you guys like this.**

**I'll be drawing a cover for this one as well, but I have to wait on that one.**

**Speaking of which, I have a special treat for a certain amazing fan of mine who has been with me for a while throughout my fanfics. I hope you like it~**

**I don't own Kingdom Hearts in any way...which sucks...meh...**

* * *

Sora found it highly unfair that everyone but him had a Blood Dragon to call their own. He was sixteen, which was _way_ past the Coming of Age for him…or anyone, in fact. Yet, despite everything, he still had no such creature to come to his aid, to call friend, to talk to. No one understood you like your Dragon, but…Sora didn't have one.

It wasn't fair.

* * *

Destiny Islands consisted of many small and large islands that were spread out among the sea, all connected as a family. The mainland had a large village that held quite a big population. It was a tight, well-formed home for many, one that grouped people together…if you had a Blood Dragon, of course.

Which left Sora Dikare, basically, as an outsider from his people. A freak. He was shunned anywhere he went, avoided like the plague from even his own family. Pushed aside, he was quick to take all his belongings and leave the mainland in hopes of finding a place to call his own. Somewhere where he would be left in peace and not be constantly reminded of the one thing he desperately wished for.

So the poor boy sailed off on his own, searching the seas for some place to call home. And, as if by some mercy from a god above, he came across a lone island that was a good distance from any other, including the mainland. He made sure that there were no inhabitants living there and was relieved to find that it was deserted of any human beings. He also found the island to be flourishing with plants (especially large trees) and animals (even Chocobos), abundant with fresh food and plenty of hidden springs that contained sweet drinking water; it was a wondrous little paradise for the brunette.

Settling down there, he strayed from contacting anyone and was left to his own devices. It was hard, finding a place that would keep him warm at night. During his explorations, though, he came across an opening that was covered with trailing ivy that led to a secret room of rock. It was a nice little area and even had an opening above that would be perfect for when he lit fires. With that, he put all his belongings inside and let that become his house. It was a flawless place to live in and the boy was happy that he had his own place to call home. Finally.

He knew that he would never be missed from the mainland or from his family. He had never had friends, so that was out of the question as well. And he was certain that he would never be invited to any celebrations or even allowed to step foot back on the islands. He was completely and utterly alone in the world and no one would ever care or worry about the poor boy. He wouldn't get to trade with any on the islands or sell anything to anyone in hopes of getting provisions for himself either; whatever he had was all he was going to get.

Banned. Sora was banned from all and he thought it somewhat of a blessing to be away from such cruel, condescending people who only wanted to pass judgment and exclude him because he didn't carry a beautiful glowing tattoo on him like the rest of them did. It wasn't something he could control, yet the islanders had no mercy to spare towards him. How unjust was that?

However, he was still human, still wished for that special companion to be beside him that he could truly call a friend. He wanted a delicate, curving tattoo that assigned him to his one and only Dragon. Wasn't he allowed to hope and believe that, one day, just maybe, that magical design would appear on his skin and proclaim him connected? Every day, when he bathed, he would desperately check his entire body for a glimmer of any sort of lovely pattern that signaled him claimed. Which, in fact, is where this story begins…

* * *

I searched my tanned body, hoping and praying that today would be the day that I would finally have one. I was stripped bare naked, my clothes tossed on the sand, standing in my bath. It was really just a pool that had a waterfall with it, but it worked just fine. It was right beside the opening to my home, too, so it would be alright if anyone tried to come and search this place so I could duck right inside and stay hidden until they were gone. The water was crystal-clear and cool, with a nice scent that lingered in the water itself. I gazed down at my shaky reflection in the pool and sighed.

"Please let there be one…" I whispered to myself.

It had become a routine for me. I would first examine my arms and chest, then my abdomen and legs. Then I would twist about and use my reflection to see my back and neck and face, scanning my entire body for anything that was similar to that of a Blood Dragon tattoo. But it was hopeless, just like every other time. Nothing in front, nothing in the back either. It was a futile effort to try and check again; there was nothing there.

"Same as ever." I said in defeat, my shoulders slumping.

I had been looking for weeks upon weeks for one since I had been here, but it had been a waste. I had an unforgiving, hopeless fate and there was nothing I could do about it. I climbed out and stood there, letting the morning sun dry me off. A salty breeze wafted by, soothing me a bit from the sting of today's search. I smiled and breathed in the sea air, glad that I at least had peace now. Peace…and eternal loneliness.

"This isn't fair. Why can't I have my Dragon tattoo already?"

The only one who answered my question was the never-ending crash of waves from behind me. The feeling of loneliness enveloped me as I went and picked up my clothes from the sand, shaking them out. It was the only clothes I had, but it was better than nothing. A simple black pair of capris and a white t-shirt, along with flip flops, which I rarely used now, was what I would use for the rest of my life. Throwing them on, I went back to my "door". I was running low on food, so I had to stock back up and fill my sack. Crouching low, I walked through the tunnel that led into a large area created of rock and branches. My home.

All that I really had was my sack that I had carried of what little I had with me to this place, firewood that lay nearby the small fire I had made that was right under the opening above, my two blankets that was my sleeping bag, some tools I had stolen from my family in secret and my music box.

Snatching up the sack, I left in search of food that I knew I would need soon. It was almost winter, which meant bad storms and cold weather and I didn't want to be unprepared for what was to come. I had a feeling that this year would be different than all the others. The sea was always one to give you new surprises and this year could be no exception. The weather was always unexpected and powerful, never giving any warning that it was coming. I had to be ready for anything.

* * *

After only a couple hours of looking, I was able to find a good amount of food that would last me a good while. The island was bountiful of mushrooms, pineapples, coconuts, bananas, oranges, fish and many other edible things. I had learned since I was little how to fish with my bare hands and climb palm trees by their trunks, so it was quite easy getting those sorts of things. On rare occasions, I came across a seagull egg or two and a chicken. These were rather one) hard to get, and two) very hard to find. Today was my lucky day, however, where I had found both.

My sack had already grown heavy with all the food I had found and I was happy to carry it back home and put it in my storage area. Of course, this was really a loose rock that had a dirt opening behind it that was perfect for my food. It worked just fine, though, and kept it fresh and away from anything that would try to come after it. Stuffing all my food inside it and putting the rock back into place, I sighed in relief. I would be fine, at least for the first month of this brittle winter. I had already decided to go out tomorrow and search some more, just to be on the safe side.

But, seeing as it was already sunset, I needed to get some food in me and go to bed. Tomorrow would be just as tiring as today was and I would need all the rest and energy I could get tonight. Sticking to just eating some mushrooms and pineapple pieces, I lit my fire and threw some more firewood onto it before crawling into bed, exhausted. With a yawn, I closed my eyes and fell asleep.

* * *

**Soooooo? Good or bad? Continue or throw away? This story is for you, my dear readers, so its' all up to you.**

**Tell me what you guys think, okay?**


	2. Chapter 2

**Well, I seem to have a few people who wish for this to continue, so I'm putting another chapter up now, as promised. I hope you like it, my readers~**

**And just a little side note: Sora is on Destiny Island, but it doesn't have any of the additions on it like in the game. No shed, no bridges, no houses or boats. It's completely deserted, okay? Just a little reminder.**

**Read on~!**

**I don't own Kingdom Hearts! :(**

* * *

The next morning was bright and cloudless, but when I spotted dark clouds upon the horizon, I knew I didn't have much time to scavenge for more food. I would have no choice but to rush through my bath and try and grab anything I could find. By the looks of it, tonight was sure to be a long, terrible storm.

"I should try the mini isle this time."

The mini isle was only a couple feet from the island and didn't have much except a few palm trees, but they produced a lot of coconuts and pineapples that were sweeter than any others I had had before. And then there was that one tree with the curved trunk that went over the side of the isle and hung out like an odd thumb. I had never touched the strange fruit it created, but they were very pretty to look at. I had never heard of any star-shaped fruit before, but I wasn't going to risk eating it in case of any poison.

The only way to get there, though, was to swim around it and climb up the short side of it. I couldn't make a bridge on my own, nor could I figure out any other possible way to get there.

Washing my body quickly and skipping my body examination in hopes of my tattoo, I hurriedly got to my little raft that had got me here in the very beginning and shoved off, paddling as fast as I could while glancing to the quickly approaching clouds that were closing in. I would have to climb as many palm trees as I could and run back inside after tying down the raft. I was glad I was quick and agile.

I didn't bother stopping to grab the few fish that caught my eye with their shining scales and paddled along, the cold water splashing me, pushing my raft about with their waves. I shivered, wishing that I was inside my house by my fire, huddled up in my blankets. But that would have to come later.

Finally getting passed the fierce waves, I made my way to the back of the isle. I didn't bother tying up the raft because I knew that the current and waves would keep it from going anywhere. Climbing up onto the isle, I could see that the palm trees were bending in the wind, their giant leaves flapping about.

I gripped my empty sack and raced to the first palm tree, deftly tucking the sack into my capris pocket. Wrapping my arms around the trunk in a hug, I put my legs around it and hoisted myself up inch by inch, keeping an eye out for the clouds. There were three pineapples hanging under the palm leaves, all ripened. I was careful when plucking them and stuffing them into my sack, seeing as I had to hold on tightly to the trunk at the same time.

I did the same with three more palm trees before I decided that it would have to do for now; the clouds were black and threatening to catch me unawares, but I had been paying attention. With my bag full with coconuts and pineapples, I went back to my raft and paddled back to shore. The waves helped this time instead of fought against me, which made my job a lot easier. Keeping a hold on the bag of food, I dragged my raft onto the beach. I could see that the clouds were close and the wind was picking up at an alarming rate; I didn't have much time.

Thankfully, my raft was small and light enough that I was able to drag it over to a small, compacted area where I kept my raft during storms. There was no way it would be whisked away by any mere storm anytime soon. After I had shoved it in far enough that I was positive it wouldn't be yanked out by any winds, I turned, picked up my bag and hurried home.

* * *

I scooted closer to my small fire and sighed. I didn't like when storms happened. I always had to cover up the hole in the roof so no rain got in and make a really tiny fire so that I didn't choke on the smoke. I had both blankets wrapped around me while I listened to the wind as it blew through my doorway, sounding like a howling animal. The rain had started only moments after I had gotten settled in. I had breathed a sigh of relief at my good timing, but I wished I had been able to grab some more food.

I shrugged and took a couple dried fish, chewing them slowly as the rain and wind became louder, stronger. It seemed like it would be quite a wild storm tonight. I disposed of the fish bones and made my bed as close to the fire as I dared before laying down, trying to ignore the loud noises that surrounded my home. But, soon enough, the rain and wind became a melodious lullaby for me, getting me to drift off into oblivion.

* * *

I woke to the sound of rain still pouring down, thunder now accompanying it. I groaned in frustration and threw the blanket over my face. I hated days like this when the storms didn't seem to want to end and just kept going on and on. It meant I would have to skip one day without bathing, but I could handle one day. Besides, it wasn't like I would gain my tattoo overnight and it would suddenly be there…right?

I almost pulled my shirt off to find out, then stopped myself. I knew what I would see when I looked over myself: nothing but bare, tan skin. I would never get a marking because there was no dragon out there for me. I had waited for two and a half years. The standard year for getting your tattoo was around the age of thirteen or fourteen, but I was still with none. Why was I trying to keep my hopes when there was no point? I wouldn't get it no matter what I did.

I felt that ultimate defeat settle into my heart and it was like my heart itself was breaking. It wasn't fair. It wasn't fair at all.

"Why don't I get a Dragon?" I choked out, then curled up in my bed and held back tears of sorrow and bitter loneliness, listening to the thunder storm until I was too exhausted to stay awake any longer, falling back into slumber.

* * *

I had a headache when I woke again. My head throbbed painfully as I got to my feet, swaying slightly as my blanket dropped to the ground. My fire had gone out a long time ago, but so had the rain. It was so quiet now.

Stretching and rubbing my temple in agony, I went outside. My island was a mess of palm leaves and driftwood, along with a few beached fish. I took those and put them back inside with the rest of my food before going back (grabbing my sack on the way out) and bringing in the driftwood that I would later break down with my tools and use for firewood. I knew that my raft would be fine, even though that had been one crazy storm, so I didn't bother checking up on it. The isle was completely fine and unharmed, so I skipped checking it out and made a search through the island.

The island was sort of an oval shape, with a couple jagged points here and there, but it wasn't very big. But the farther I went south, the more trees began to pop up. At one end of the island was just a jutted cliff that was engulfed with a jungle. I had learned to stay away from there due to the many poisonous plants and dangerous animals there, but I ventured into it every now and then. I doubted today would be a good day to, though, so I kept my distance.

The majority of my island was just sandy beaches, thankfully, and trees. It gave me a wide area to explore and relax in, which is why it was such a paradise to me. I kept a lookout for anything that had washed up on shore that was worth anything to me, but it was mostly lots of seaweed and ocean items. I took any spare fish and small driftwood, but it wasn't much. Nothing else was here for me.

"Guess I'll turn back home." I said in exasperation, flipping my bag over my shoulder.

That's when the sun suddenly flickered against something that lay half-buried in the sand, flashing light into my eye. I blinked and shielded my eyes with my free hand, squinting down to find what had momentarily blinded me.

There was some sort of silver item glittering out from the sand, some sort of strange jewel. I dropped my bag and got onto my hands and knees, pushing the sand away. When I uncovered the mysterious item, I found it to be a lovely necklace of silver. A large silver crown hung delicately on a silver chain, bouncing the sun off it as it swung about.

"It's beautiful…"

Carefully, I stuck it in my pocket instead of my sack, knowing exactly where I would put my little treasure. Then, I hoisted my bag back over my shoulder and wandered on home to safely hide my little discovery in my music box.

* * *

**Sound familiar? Wonder where it came from...**

**And yes, this AU is rather a messed up place. Basically, the people of this world have only one rule: no marking, no life. It sucks, but Sora is special, so don't worry about him. He'll be happy soon enough.**

**Hope you like it so far!**


	3. Chapter 3

**I hope you guys like this one.**

**Read on.**

**I don't own Kingdom Hearts.**

* * *

The night was quiet and I was restless. I couldn't seem to sleep. Of course, this was nothing new to me; I had gone without sleep for days on end and ended up nearly collapsing from the lack of sleep, which got me right back into the routine. Tonight, though, I couldn't stand being inside; I had to go outside for a little while.

The night was clear and crisp. I was glad to just close my eyes and hear the sound of the waves as they forever crashed onto the sandy beach and made their way back into the ocean. The moon was currently outshining the stars, bright in the sky as if everything was right in the world.

I went down to the beach and wandered around, digging my feet into the cool sand while the waves played around my ankles every so often. I felt utterly restless, but my body was exhausted and needed recharging. I plopped myself down in the sand, keeping my distance from the water, trying to figure out what was wrong with me. Was I just not good enough or was there something about me that left me alone? Or was I just that pathetic?

I pressed a hand to my forehead as the beginnings of a headache bloomed there, making me painfully aware that I was getting bumps along my arms; it was rather cold tonight. The stars above just kept looking down on me, almost taunting my loneliness.

"It's not fair." I whispered, getting to my feet. "This world is so unfair to me..."

I turned and went along the shoreline, the waves splashing my bare feet playfully. Normally, that would be slightly comforting for me, but not tonight. Tonight, I was on edge, feeling a bit irritated and more than a little lonely. I wrapped my arms around myself as a cold breeze floated past me, chilling me to the bone.

"I should get back inside…" I muttered to myself, about to turn back around.

That's when things took a strange turn. I froze, mid step, as my skin turned ice cold, as if someone had dumped me in the ocean. A sharp stab blossomed on my right temple, growing at a rapid rate. I groaned and held my head, stumbling from the sudden pain. My vision became spots of black and white, mixing together until I couldn't see anything else. I didn't get to stop myself from falling on my side into the sand, unable to control my body as everything faded away…

* * *

I was awoken by the clap of ear-shattering thunder, followed by the blinding light of a streak of lightning. But instead of being in my cozy cave, I was in the middle of the ocean, laying down in the midst of a storm on a raft. The waves crashed and soaked me, getting a lungful of salty water in the process. I gasped at the cold tingle it left, gagging at the water that I had swallowed.

_Where…where am I?_

Another wave came over my raft, spilling over to the other side. I stood to my feet and looked out at the angered ocean, wondering how I had even gotten here in the first place. I had been sleeping peacefully only moments ago…hadn't I? I knew I didn't sleepwalk and it would have been impossibly stupid to drag my raft out into the sea at this time of year.

I glanced over the raft (and bluntly trying to avoid more dangerous waves) and realized something: this wasn't mine. The wood was acacia, with a ragged, sopping sail that was torn down the middle and flapping about wildly in the wind. My own raft had been made of oak, with a sail that I had made with an old tablecloth. So, if this _wasn't_ my raft….whose was it?

Another burst of thunder boomed into existence, followed shortly by snips of lightning that lit up the dark sky and gave the waves a more sinister look. The ocean began to churn and toss about the little raft and I, forcing me to hold onto the only mast as hard as I could. Thunder; lightning.

"_Hold on!_"

I couldn't have imagined that voice just now, could I?

"_Don't let go!_ _Just hold on!_"

The voice was coming from above the clouds, I realized. I recognized it, but I couldn't recall from where.

"_Hol-_" Thunder boomed and blocked out the voice.

That's when the largest wave I had ever seen in my lifetime soared overhead…coming straight over me. I stared, wide-eyed in terror, as it grew bigger and bigger, then finally tilted forward and head back down. I closed my eyes and screamed.

* * *

My eyes shot open, shivering automatically as cold shards of rain fell down onto my skin, soaking me to the bone. I pushed myself up and grimaced as my head throbbed, slowing me down. I tried to ignore it and forced my body to stand, refusing to black out once more. I just needed to get inside and I would be fine.

I could feel my body starting to tilt, the world following along. I was surprised to find myself face down on the wet sand, the cold rain relentless and cruel as it continued to fall. I stood to my feet and brushed off the sand that had stuck to me, making sure to be careful with my movements, lest I fall unconscious and gain hypothermia.

That's when I felt something warm and thicker than water trickle down my ear. I gingerly touched my ear and my found my fingers stained with blood. Panic took place inside of me as spots filled my vision. Using all my willpower, I pressed my hand on the side of my head and stayed as stable as I possibly could, swaying. I just needed to get home. Once I did, I could allow myself to pass out.

"Please…" I prayed aloud to whatever god I was talking to. "Just let me live."

I stumbled along in the rain, the sand proving to be an awful foe in the midst of my situation as I kept holding on. I could barely see my home entrance through the curtains of rain, but I knew this island like the back of my hand and I was close.

I dared to check how much blood I was losing and pulled my hand away to see, expecting blood to be dripping from my fingertips. Instead, my hand was clean. I stared in shock, blinking at my hand. I touched my head and felt nothing but water as it ran down my face. I knew I couldn't have simply imagined blood or the pain I had felt, but there was no sign of either. I wasn't losing my mind…was I?

* * *

**Finally, another one. Is it confusing? :P Good.**

**Any idea what's going on?**


	4. Chapter 4

**Well, this one is short, but it's worth it. **

**Thank you for telling me HeavensLuminousArc. I looked back and realized you were right, so I tried to push up to the point. Thank you~**

**I don't own Kingdom Hearts.**

* * *

I wearily stepped into my home, moving quickly to make a fire. I still couldn't stop glancing down at my hand, expecting it to be red.

And then there had been that disturbingly realistic dream I had had when I had fainted. The images and that loud, desperate voice still shook me, despite it being only some short nightmare.

"What's happening to me?" I wondered aloud.

Once the fire was burning brightly and I had relaxed a bit, I snuggled inside my two blankets and took out my music box. The box itself was intricate in design. It was the only thing that was worth anything to me that I had bothered to take along. It was gold, with a lovely sapphire heart outline on the lid. Inside was the little instrument that played the endless tune. I pushed the small button that lay hidden underneath the box, a secret compartment opening to reveal the treasure I had found on the beach the other day.

I took the necklace out by the chain, staring at the skillful craftsmanship with interest. I could tell it had been made with careful, creative hands that put everything into their work. It was almost too beautiful to wear. I couldn't help myself, though, and put it on, admiring the way it suited me.

"Maybe I'll just keep it on." I thought aloud, my fingertips brushing against the smooth crown.

_**CRASH!**_

I gasped and looked around my home, my heart pounding at the unexpected sound that was shortly followed by the earth shaking under me. Everything settled quickly, the rain continuing to fall as if nothing had happened. I frowned and rushed to put my music box away before getting up.

"A short earthquake, perhaps?" I tried to convince myself.

The ground seemed to reply with another short quiver before going still, getting me to stumble and fall against the stone wall.

"What's going on?"

Part of me was sorely tempted to go outside and explore, but that would be stupid to even try in this storm. The other part of me was fearful, conjuring up terrifying images in my head. Had it truly been an earthquake and the island itself was sinking back into the ocean? Had something washed up on the shore, hungry and lurking around in search of something to satisfy its' hunger? Or was it something my mind couldn't even think of?

I listened as the rain poured down, thunder blasting around in short bursts, wondering what I should do now: Wait or search?

I stepped towards the way out and shivered at the cold wind that blew inside. There was no way I was going to risk going out there with weather like that. I went and added more wood to my fire, grabbing my blankets while feeling on edge.

I sat down close to the fire, waiting for the weather to let up or for something else to happen, but nothing did. Slowly, but surely, my eyelids grew heavy. I yawned, laying down on my side as I absently stared into flickering flames. And then…I drifted off to sleep.

* * *

For some reason, I was wide awake the moment I opened my eyes. Everything seemed fine now, but then I noticed something that made me realize that things weren't as okay as they seemed; it was silent, with only the distance sound of waves breaking it.

Something was definitely wrong.

I scrambled to my feet and raced outside, expecting to see the worst of the worst. But when I stepped out into blinding sunlight and my eyes had adjusted, nothing was out of place. The island itself was messy, but that was to be expected, of course. The isle itself was fine, the water and sand was still the same and nothing looked out of the ordinary. I smiled, obviously having been paranoid for no reason.

"Alright, time for a bath!" I cheered to the sky.

I proceeded by stripping instantly and jumping in, gasping at the cold water. It was great to finally bathe, bluntly ignoring the fact that I wasn't bothering to check for my marking for the first time since I had found this island. I knew better than to grasp onto hope when it wasn't going to ever happen. I wasn't ever going to have one and that was that.

Despite accepting that depressing fact, I knew I would move on as time went by. Right now, though, I just wanted to live and try to have fun. Alone…

I was snapped out of my lonesome thoughts as a loud growl sounded, echoing into the sky. I was frozen where I was, my heart pounding as I waited. It was quiet now, but the island was struck to the core by that foreign noise as much as I was.

"What…what _was_ that?" I whispered.

Without another word, I didn't delay any further and got out, dressing quickly. Part of me wondered if I should find a weapon, but I thought better of it. I made my way onto the beach, walking alongside the crashing waves while keeping an eye out for anything; turns out, I didn't need to walk very far.

"Holy…no way…"

* * *

**Well, I now leave you with that to wonder about, so you're all welcome. :P**

**I hope this was a little better. **


	5. Chapter 5

**Another chapter! Ready for things to get interesting?**

**Now go and read away. I hope you like it.**

**And please, feel free to comment. Give me advice, ideas, critical ideas. Anything. :)**

**I don't own Kingdom Hearts or dragons.**

* * *

A dragon. Not just any dragon: a Pearl Blood dragon. My lungs malfunctioned as I took in the sight before me.

"Wow." I gasped out.

Shimmering, white scales that glittered in the bright sun. Its' long body was sprawled out on the sand, piles of golden sand surrounding it. Its' beautiful tail was lying in the waves, moving with the current. But it was just lying there, completely lifeless. Was it possibly dead? Sleeping? I didn't dare move any closer to it if it was.

As if it had heard me, it twitched to life, a deep growl rumbling within its' throat. I gasped and took a step back, watching in awe as the white wings flickered, rustling slightly open before settling snuggly back to its' body, still once more.

"This is a dream." I choked out hoarsely. "Just a crazy, amazing dream…right?"

The dragon's tail splashed the crashing waves, startling me, before going lifeless again. I gulped, feeling oddly unafraid. I should have been, I knew, but I only felt awed, surprised. Gleeful, even. Was this the best, dear friend I had been waiting for? Two years had passed by, but was it finally my time? I could go back home and be welcomed with open arms, be given back my life that had been taken from me…

No, I didn't want to go back. Going back meant fake smiles and lukewarm hugs that meant nothing to me. They were cruel people with black, dark hearts that never intended to let me be a part of their world. I would be included, but they would always see me as the banned loser with nothing to offer. No, I was staying here.

I carefully backed away, keeping quiet as I possibly could while tiptoeing on sand. Making my way to the opposite side of the island, I pondered on what I should do. Would it be wise to get closer and see what was wrong with it? Perhaps it was wounded? The thought alone was terrifying, which startled me in itself. For all I knew, this dragon had someone and had only been flying through the storm and had fallen to my island.

What should I do about this dragon that was beached on my lone island?

* * *

Despite everything, my curiosity got the better of me. I was drawn to that beautiful dragon, unable to stay away from it. Even if I was merely standing and looking at it from a distance, it was lovely to see. The way its' scales reflected the sun, laying there on the sand, was picturesque to me. I was quite tempted to get closer to it, to touch those scales and see if it was a simple hallucination or reality. I was still doubting that it was the latter, but it was a possibility.

So there I was, standing there while staring, memorized, by this Pearl Blood. I never would have thought myself to ever be in this situation. I had seen dragons back when I was on the mainland, all following and cuddling their companions. Flying, swimming, walking around, full of fun and happiness. And there I had been, alone.

"A dragon…all my own…" I sighed.

That's when the large beast growled once more, digging its' claws into the sand. Its' face, which had once been peaceful, twisted into an angry and pained expression, snarling under its' breath. Was it wounded after all?

Suddenly, white eyelids shot open, its' wings coming to life and lifting the rest of the long body into the air before landing back to the ground. I could only stand there, my heart pounding as its' bright eyes absorbed the area; it had the most bright, aquamarine eyes I'd ever seen. And then, those eyes focused on me, narrowing slightly.

My entire body was keeping me there, frozen to the spot. I couldn't look away from those eyes as it warily looked me over, weighing out certain things in its' head. I didn't move; I didn't speak. I could barely even breathe while it glared at me, fixed on only me.

After for what seemed like an eternity, it sniffed in indifference and curled up into a perfect spiral, covering itself with its' large wings. I gulped, wondering if it was a good idea to move. But after a little while, I decided it was safe and stepped backwards. Its' tail twitched, but it made no threatening movements towards me. I was on edge, though, as I tiptoed back to my cave, feeling like I was stepping on glass.

* * *

I was in a daze as I made a fire and got into bed, replaying my encounter in my head. But even as I lay my head down, I couldn't stop the way my heart felt as I met the eyes of that magnificent dragon. It still felt that way, pulsing and hammering away at my ribs as my mind slowly faded off into sleep. My last thought was: _Will it still be there tomorrow?_

* * *

**Yep. Now, you guys are probably wondering where Riku is; don't worry, he's coming. Things will get quite interesting soon. Well, things already have, but it'll get even better.**

**Hope you guys are liking it so far~**


	6. Chapter 6

**Ah, this one is fun. I love the way I wrote this. **

**And thank you for those who seem to like it so far. Things are going to just get more...fun. ;P**

**I don't own dragons. Or Kingdom Hearts. Or anything, really.**

* * *

I was groggy as morning sunlight began to flitter into my cave, slowly forcing me to get up. I groaned in annoyance and rolled over on my other side to avoid my bright alarm clock, humming in satisfaction as sleep creeped in again.

And then I remembered everything from yesterday.

"The dragon!" I cried, jumping up.

My feet twisted in the blanket and caused me to lose my balance, falling to the ground while wrapped awkwardly in my blankets. Sighing, I attempted to untangle myself.

"Great way to start a morning…" I grumbled, finally free.

Skipping breakfast, I rushed outside. The sun was just beginning to rise, giving the sea a orange-gold hue. Holding my breath, I made my way to where I had left the great beast, praying it was still there. But once I came into the vicinity of where it had been, I saw nothing. No dragon lay on the sand, curled up into that lovely spiral on the beach. In fact, there seemed to be no sign that a dragon had been here besides the piles of sand.

Disappointment and sadness filled me, unexpectedly bringing tears to my eyes as I sank onto my knees in the sand. I had been anticipating seeing that wondrous creature once more, but it had been hopeless. I was alone on this deserted island, doomed to live out my days here without any companion or friend to call my own.

"It's not fair…" I let out a small sob. "I never asked to be different and isolated….I just wanted to fit in…to have a dragon…a friend…"

"Why are you crying?"

At first, I thought it was simply my imagination. But if I hadn't heard that unfamiliar voice myself, I wouldn't have believed someone had just spoken. Raising my head, I could only stare in disbelief at the sight of a guy coming towards me. His clothes were mere rags on his body and he was soaking wet, but he looked generally healthy. But what caught my eye was the way his hair – his long silver hair – glistened in the morning light.

I watched, wide-eyed, as he came up to me, giving me a clear view of everything. He was paler than I was, but had a better build in every sense of the word. I swallowed thickly, completely oblivious to the way I was rudely staring at him until he spoke up.

"Well? You gonna get up or what?"

I sniffed loudly and hastily wiped my eyes, slightly embarrassed that my first encounter with another human being had been like this. I got to my feet and tried to gain composure, wishing that things could have gone a bit better. He stood there, silent, as he looked me up and down; he didn't look very pleased with what he saw.

"Um…I'm Sora…" I said.

"…who else lives here?" he replied back.

"…just…myself…"

He looked a bit taken aback. "Only you? Are you certain?"

"Yes." My tongue became instantly tied as the situation washed over me. "Uh…um…"

The stranger gave me another disapproving look, no doubt wondering if I was mental or something, but I could only stand there and look retarded as I had my first encounter with such a handsome human being once more.

"So why are you here by yourself? Exploring? Shipwrecked?" he asked, quickly changing the subject.

"Uh…here." I replied, blushing immediately at my stupid response.

He raised an eyebrow. "Yeah, why are you here?"

And that's when I finally noticed – really noticed – he had bright aquamarine eyes, piercing and beautiful. I couldn't help but stare in wonder, completely blanking out now.

"Quit staring." He snapped angrily. "The hell is wrong with you?"

Embarrassed and a bit humiliated now, I lowered my eyes to the sand and tried to think of some way to apologize, but nothing came to mind. Had I really become retarded in a matter of seconds because of a random stranger?

"I…I'm sorry…it's been so long since I've seen another human being face to face…" I mumbled.

"…what do you mean?"

"I've lived alone here for…a while." I explained somewhat. "…you can probably figure out why…"

He was silent for a long moment, then grunted in acknowledgement. "You're Unmarked."

I flinched at having the title be pressed down onto me, wishing I hadn't heard it from someone I didn't know, let alone anyone. It hurt enough to tell it to myself and this person before me wasn't making it easier.

"So this is basically your island?" he asked, his tone now less sharp.

I glanced up at him. "I suppose so, yeah."

"It's a nice place. Kinda wish I had stumbled upon it first so I could claim it." He chuckled, a small smile forming on his lips. "For us, we Unmarked ones are never lucky much, are we?"

And my heart nearly dropped down to my stomach at hearing those words as it clicked in my head. He was here, alone. _Without a dragon._

"You…you're a…" I couldn't even find it in me to say the words. "You are, too…?"

"Yep…seventeen now and still no sign of anything on me…" He sighed heavily. "Kinda lost hope of ever getting one, though, so whatever. My homeland finally got sick of me giving them a bad name, so they kicked me out at sea."

I was now in a state of shock. "You were banned as well?"

"Y…yeah…" Those eyes looked at me. "Is that why you're here alone?" I nodded. "How'd you find this place?"

"Pure luck, I guess. " I shrugged. "I basically gathered my personal belongings and left. I didn't know what to expect, but then I accidently came upon here. I made sure it was deserted and finally claimed it as my home. At least while I'm here I don't have to feel as insecure about myself. No one shoves it in my face about me being Unmarked and I don't have to get horrid glares everywhere I step."

"I guess so." He eyed me thoughtfully. "Must be even lonelier though, huh?"

"…what do you mean?" I asked warily.

"No one to talk to, nobody to laugh with or relax with."

"…not really."

A sudden smile lit up his features, taking my breath away. "I'm Riku. Riku Koibito. It's nice to meet someone who understand my situation."

Tongue-tied, I gulped and shakingly responded. "Sora Dikare."

And that was how I gained a newfound and unexpected friend that day, forgetting about the dragon.

* * *

**Don't you love when you meet someone who just...understands you and what you're going through? Man, that earns a friendship, no matter what.**

**I hope you guys are liking how it's going so far.**

**RIKU'S HERE! SQUEE~**


	7. Chapter 7

**Alright, let's see how things are going with these two, shall we?**

**To the story! *cue music***

**I don't own Kingdom Hearts.**

* * *

"And this is my home. Not much, I know." I rubbed the back of my neck, a bit embarrassed. "But it keeps me warm at night and I have somewhere safe to stay."

He looked around thoughtfully, taking in the cave with interest. I stood to the side, secretly hoping he would find it a bit impressive. His eyes took in my "bed" and fire pit, but said nothing.

"Um…sorry-"

"It's nice." He turned to me, a hint of a smile on his face. "Would you be willing to let me stay here and share?"

I stared back. "You…you mean…stay here? On the island? With me?"

"If you don't mind."

"I…"

I was at a loss for words. I had always thought I would live alone on this island, fate leaving me with nothing but loneliness. But yet, here was someone with the same problem I had, willing to join me. It wasn't the dragon I had wished for, but it was better than dying and no one caring or knowing.

"I would love that." I said with a smile.

He returned it. "So would I."

I could have hugged him right then and there. But we only smiled and I could tell things were going to be a lot more fun for me.

* * *

"So what's that isle out there?" He pointed. "I wish I had seen it when I was out at sea, but the storm kind of prevented that."

We were walking slowly alongside the ocean, bare feet sinking into the wet sand. It was only the early afternoon, but it had felt like minutes had gone by and there wasn't enough time to take in the fact that I had a roommate now.

"That's just always been there. It might have been a part of the island, but the water probably separated it. Now it's just isolated out there, but it's a nice place to relax."

"How can you get there? It's out in the water."

"My raft. It's not much, but it does the job. I just paddle to the opposite side and climb up." I explained.

"Wouldn't it be easier to make a bridge or something to get across?"

That thought had never crossed my mind before, but it was a pretty good idea, to say the least. I slowed my steps even more so.

"That…_would_ be a clever plan…" I grinned. "Actually, that sounds awesome. It's not a one-man job, but that's not a problem for me anymore."

He laughed. "So is that the only reason you allowed me to stay?"

I rolled my eyes and lightly shoved his shoulder, but he merely dodged it and flicked me in the forehead, to which I could only laugh, him joining in. I never would have thought my days would change so suddenly. Having a companion to laugh and talk to was…nice. Was this what it would have been like if I had gotten a dragon?

"By the way, you wouldn't happen to have any extra clothes that are a bit bigger, do you? I'm tired of wearing practically nothing on. It's gotten way too cold, anyway." He rubbed his bare, muscular arms. "I'm glad the sun is warm today, though, else I would be freezing my butt off."

"Um…not exactly." I replied sheepishly.

"Crap…" He sighed and looked down at his tattered t-shirt, which had probably been white at some point, but had turned into faded grey. "Guess I'd better figure something out. Winter's closing in fast and I need warmer clothes."

What he said made me think about my own attire. My capris and simple t-shirt weren't going to cut it for the cold weather and low temperatures. I hadn't thought ahead for what I would wear, only what I would eat.

"I didn't think that far ahead…" I bit my lip and fingered the hem of my shirt. "I need warmer clothes, too."

"Alright, then we need to put our heads together and brainstorm." He picked up the pace. "Where's your raft?"

"W-wait, why?" I stopped walking. "I thought we were going to think up a way to get better winter clothing."

"We are. But we need a good place to think." he said over his shoulder.

I crossed my arms over my chest and smirked. "Um, Riku?"

"Hm?"

"My raft is that way." I said, pointing behind me with my thumb.

He took on a sheepish look and turned back around. "Oh. Lead the way, then."

I could only laugh while he repeatedly mutter for me to shut up, but I just couldn't help laughing. It felt so good to finally laugh and just have a carefree day without the weight of sadness pressing down on me.

"By the way, the day of that storm…" Riku trailed off, which halted my laughter. "Did anything happen?"

"No, but it was quite a storm."

Part of me was hesitant to tell him of the dragon that had been beached on my island, seeing as it felt like my personal little secret. But he was now my friend, my permanent companion that would stay here forever. The thought was a little overbearing and pathetic than anything else, but it was what it was.

"S-"

"There was a dragon." I blurted out.

His eyes narrowed in disbelief, sharp and unfriendly from the wonderful smile he had on earlier. Had the mere mention of the creature upset him?

"Are you sure? Where is it now?"

"Gone." I shrugged. "One day it was laying on my beach, next day it vanished. I don't know."

"…interesting."

He didn't say another word to me and I didn't try to pull out any from him. I didn't know him well enough to tell if he would explode if I uttered anything, so I kept my mouth shut and waited, hoping I hadn't made him too angry.

We came upon the place where I had shoved my raft and ran forward to dislodge it, which Riku pitched in silently to help. Once it was set on the sand and the oars were put on top, he began to look over it with a critical eye, examining the sail and foundation. He said nothing, but I flinched when he temporarily glanced back at me. Those piercing eyes…

"Not bad." He picked it up and nodded to the other end. "Help me get it to the water."

I did so without complaint or argument and we set out back to the sea, dropping it with a splash into the rolling waves.

"Well…you first." I said with a gesture.

"Hmph." He climbed on, the raft bouncing and tilting like a seesaw. "God, mine was way better balanced than this one."

"It works, alright?" I frowned.

He rolled his eyes in reply as I clambered on board, nearly slipping and falling into the cold water. Thankfully, Riku had the decency to grab my arm and haul me the rest of the way to safety. I rubbed the back of my head.

"Sorry. I've always been clumsy."

He shook his head as I handed him an oar, but only a ghost of a smile crossed his features this time. Had I ruined everything? So soon? I bit my lip as he dug the oar into the water and started paddling, hoping that wasn't the case.

"Come on, lazy bones. We'll be here all day if you just sit there; paddle."

I did so, on edge by the worry in my mind.

* * *

**Poor Sora. Anyone have a clue why Riku is being a total ass now?**

**You know, he could just be PMSing...typical Riku, right? :P**

**Until next time~**


	8. Chapter 8

**Here we are! I was having some trouble, but I gots it. :P**

**UltimateSoULReApeR596: You know me well. Yes, Kairi has already been planned to be in here, but later on in the story.**

**As for my other dear readers, you are all amazing and have many good ideas and such for the future chapters. nicely done, I must say. I can't wait to get deeper into this one.**

**I don't own Kingdom Hearts, dragons or any islands.**

* * *

I stood further away while Riku took in the ocean, arms crossed and shoulders tense. He hadn't said a word to me since we had gotten to the isle, nor had he said one syllable for the past five minutes while he ventured round the small piece of land, examining the strange star tree even more so than anything else. Now he stood beside it, brooding over the view the isle gave.

"It's nice, isn't it?" I attempted to make conversation. "I really like the view from here better than any other place on the island."

He grunted in reply and I noticed the way his muscles tightened, obviously irked that I had opened my mouth. I sulked and decided it best to say nothing else, lest he turn and begin to yell at me.

So there we both stood in silence while the waves left a soothing background noise for us, waiting for something to happen. After a good ten minutes, the handsome male turned around and looked at me, his eyes stabbing right into me. I flinched, despite myself.

"That necklace. Where did you get it?" he snapped.

"My…huh?"

"The. Necklace." He pointed to my chest, where the silver crown hung. "Where did you get that?"

I looked down and touched the smooth pendant, then blinked back up at him in confusion. What was so important about a necklace?

"I…I found it. A few days ago. It was kinda buried under the sand, but I dug it up. I thought it looked nice, so I took it."

My explanation appeared to anger him even more so. "Or maybe you just stole it!"

"Stole it? I haven't stepped foot off my island ever since I got here! What makes you think I steal? What kind of proof do you have to make that kind of accusation?"

Now he was the one taken aback, his mouth snapping closed as my words smacked the fury from his eyes. Frowning, I pulled the necklace over my head and handed it out to him.

"What?"

"It's yours, I guessing?" I replied.

"…thanks." He reached out and I let it fall into his palm. "This is special to me."

"Where'd you get it? It's beautiful."

He stroked the crown before answering. "I got it from an old friend of mine, but she was banned from speaking to me once people began to notice that I lacked a Marking. It's been nearly three years since I last saw her…"

I smiled sadly as he glanced down at the necklace, his cool appearance falling a little to reveal something more underneath.

"What was she like?" I asked, curious.

"Strong-willed, yet relaxed and fun to be with. She was always making something with her hands." He chuckled and gazed up at me. "This necklace was given to me the last day I saw her. After that, she never hung out with me again. A couple days later, I heard the news that her Marking had appeared and that she felt her dragon was coming for her. And I know for a fact that I didn't exist in her world when that stupid tattoo came into being."

"Was she your special someone?" He gave me a puzzled look. "Did you like her more than as a friend?"

As if I had made the funniest joke in the world, he snorted and covered his mouth with his hand, holding in laughter.

"My…special someone? You certainly are one to have your head in the clouds. No, nothing like that!"

"Oh…" I felt silly now. "I just thought-"

"She was like a sister to me, someone who was always by my side and willing to talk with me. Everyone else was afraid to get closer to me, even before they realized I was Unmarked. I wasn't very popular…" He eyed me. "You were probably well-liked for a while on your mainland."

"…not really."

He opened his mouth to say something, then hastily closed it. Awkward silence filled the space between us all over again, but I could tell Riku was attempting to think of something that would change the atmosphere.

"Come on." He finally smiled and nodded in the direction we had left the raft. "Let's go back inside where it's warm. The sun is going down and it'll be dark soon."

I returned his smile and we both left the isle behind, on good terms.

* * *

Morning came and I rose early, my brain foggy with sleep. Rubbing my eyes, I yawned and looked to see if my fire was still banked. That's when my mind snapped to attention, recalling I now had a roommate.

"Ri-" I nearly shouted his name, then stopped short when I saw he was fast asleep. "Oops…"

Getting up, I carefully started a fire again. I knew he was exhausted and thought I'd better allow him to rest so more. It would give me time to bathe, anyway.

The morning air was crisp and clouds polka dotted the blue sky. I stretched with a great sigh and proceeded to undress, tossing them on the sand before jumping right into the rushing waterfall. I hummed in delight under my breath, feeling as light as a feather. Things had changed for the better and I had a feeling it would only get better from here.

The world wasn't so cruel after all.

"Sor-" I turned to the entrance to see Riku emerge, his silver hair disheveled. He stopped short when he saw me, eyes wide. "Uh…"

"Sleep well, I assume?" I said.

"Er…yeah." He coughed and his eyes turned slightly away. "I was surprised that you weren't inside, so I was going to go look for you."

"I'm just taking a bath."

"…I can see that." He ruffled his hair and made sure to look in the opposite direction. "Well…I'll be inside until you're done."

Like a scared Chocobo, he dashed back into the tunnel entrance, leaving me felling slightly confused. What was wrong with him? He acted like I had done something weird and wanted to run away from me.

"Riku's the weird one." I said aloud.

I continued on with my bath, glad to have such a nice day ahead of me. My mind was already coming up with ideas on what Riku and I would be doing to prepare for the winter that was quickly approaching. We had a lot to do.

* * *

**Riku IS acting a little strange, guys. Don't you all agree? **

**And that's why he was so frustrated at Sora in the previous chapter, folks. Don't steal Riku's jewelry, guys, or else he gets pissy. :P I'm so mean to him, aren't I?**

**Until the next chapter, my fellow fanfic readers!**


	9. Chapter 9

**I'm so sorry, everyone! I've had a sticky key problem, so I had no way of typing up another chapter without it doing THIS (-) forever and ever on my document. But now it's solved, so I finally updated~ Hope you guys like it!**

**I don't own dragon, Kingdom Hearts or anything...except Markings.**

* * *

So the days went by for the two young men as they kept each other company on that lonesome island together. Sora had begun to allow his depression to fall from his shoulders now that he had an infinite friend by his side forever and Riku felt similar to that.

They prepared for the long, cruel winter ahead and they even were able to make clothing from the remains of Riku's raft, as well as took the splintered wood. An abundance of food was stored and Sora couldn't have been happier. He found Riku to be fun and mysterious to be around. The two were fast becoming friends and they didn't even notice.

* * *

I was confused about one thing when it came to Riku: why did he always act strange around me at the most random of times? It was like a switch, where one moment he would be laughing and rolling his eyes at me, then suddenly looking away and ignoring me. It was so odd, but I never pointed it out; I just took it as Riku being…well, Riku.

Night had fallen early today, which forced us to go inside and start a fire, shivering in the cold that had begun to settle down. Riku immediately set to making a new fire while I went and got the blankets for us to wrap ourselves in and sit as close to the fire as possible. Within minutes, bright flames and warm blankets were ebbing away the cold that lay in our home. I sighed happily in relief and snuggled up in my own blanket.

"Warm now?" Riku asked.

"Yes." I hummed. "So much better now."

"What's for dinner?"

I shrugged. "I don't know…warm coconut milk and maybe some oranges and fish?"

Riku, being closer to the food storage than me, reached out to pull away the rock that hid our bulging bag of food and took it out. An unexpected expression of pain crossed his features, but it quickly vanished. I frowned.

"Are you feeling okay?"

He glanced up at me before pulling out a coconut and some oranges, completely ignoring my question. I stopped from preparing the food and forced him to put his attention on me, repeating the question.

"I'm fine." He didn't even sound convinced with himself. "I'm just hungry."

I didn't believe that for a second, but I wasn't going to argue with him when it was obvious he wanted to keep his pride. So food was silently made and eaten, then we laid down where we sat and went to sleep, Riku making sure to bank the fire beforehand.

But sleep lost its hold on me as I lay there, wishing I knew the reason to the enigma that was my companion. I didn't even know where he was originally from or what his favorite color was; why had I allowed a stranger to live here with me?

"You awake, Sora?"

The sound of Riku's voice startled me, but I tried not to show it. "Yeah."

"What's on your mind?"

"Just…" I didn't want to say that I was worried or scared of him and give him the wrong idea. "…just stuff."

He sat up. "Sora?"

"Hm?"

"What's your favorite color?"

I froze under my blanket at that question. "What?"

"Your favorite color; what is it?"

"…uh…red…"

"…okay." He laid back down. "I was just curious."

With that said, he rolled over with his back to me and spoke no more. I lay there, staring across the fireplace at him, puzzled and wishing I could understand this stranger. But as night went on, I finally drifted off to sleep.

* * *

"Sora, would you relax?"

"That's a freakin' _huge_ shark, Riku! Why would I relax?" I countered.

He sighed dramatically and closed his eyes. "Just don't go in the water, then."

"But I like the ocean…"

"Ugh. Come on, bonehead." He grabbed my wrist and proceeded to drag me to the jungle side of the island. "Let's explore."

"But I know every par-" I began to explain.

"Well, I barely know this island at all, Sora, so you're gonna be my guide." He thrust me in front of him. "Lead the way, Mr. Tour Guide."

For some unexplainable reason, I could feel my cheeks get warm, but ignored it and started walking, trying to think of where to take us. As we walked into the thick trees, I turned around to say something-

"Riku?"

There was no one behind me.

"Riku?"

I looked around me, wondering if he had just walked a little further away, but the island was devoid of silver. Where had he vanished off to?

I moved forward, intent on walking out of the jungle forest and go search for him. That's when a loud, ear-shattering snarl exploded through the air, scaring the living daylights out of me. I jumped and ran behind the nearest tree trunk, my heart pounding as my mind raced. Was it a volcano? An earthquake? A…a dragon? Maybe _the_ dragon from before?

I glanced out from behind the trunk, looking for any sign of a certain Pearl Blood…

Another snarl, followed shortly by the earth itself shaking beneath me. I grabbed hold of the tree for support with a gasp, my eyes desperately looking for wings or a long, beautiful tail. That's when I felt it: eyes were watching me from afar, seeing every move I made. I turned around in a full circle, but the foliage of the trees and vines were too thick. A dragon had sight hundred times better than any mere human, so there was no point in trying if it was watching me from deep with the trees.

That's when I faintly recalled I had another person who lived here as well. Snapping out of my stupor, I rushed out of the jungle.

"_Riku!_"

My feet stumbled slightly in the shifting sand, but it barely slowed me down as I made my way towards home, hoping he had been smart enough to go back inside where it was safe. I shouted his name again, but a roar drowned me out immediately. My steps slacked a bit as I gazed over my shoulder; my heart stopped beating.

The same dragon – _the same Pearl Blood dragon_ – from before was in the air, wings at full expansion and flying overhead…straight at me. A scream built up in my throat, but my tongue was stuck to the roof of my mouth. I focused back on running. All I needed to do was get inside and I would be safe. I had no idea if the dragon had bad or good intentions, but I wasn't about to stick around and find out. For all I knew, this could be a rogue creature, whose only purpose was to kill and devour. I had never seen one, but there were always rumors and stories of such a thing existing.

My blood raced in my ears as the sound of flapping wings got closer, its shadow falling over me. I could see my waterfall bath, the entrance of my home alongside it. The shadow got bigger and I could feel the wind from its large wings blowing on my back.

A sudden growl was all I got as a warning before I felt its claws dig into my back and using all its weight on me. I cried out as I fell forward onto my face, getting a face full of sand in the process. The great beast settled atop me, wings rustling as they retracted and settled against its body. Panting, I lay there and didn't dare move.

I felt it shift its weight off, yet still kept a claw on me, holding me down. I could feel my lungs malfunction as hot breath brushed my bare neck, wanting nothing more than to scream right then and there. Was it perhaps looking me over to deem me worthy of a snack?

It made another sound, one I had never heard from a dragon before; something of a whine and a hum. That's when I heard wings flick open, followed by a cackle. Before I had time to move or comprehend what was going to happen, its claws dug into my shoulders and pulled me up….and up….and up.

I screamed.

* * *

**Well...that just happened...**

**XD Sorry, Sora!**


	10. Chapter 10

***gasp* Sorry...*wheeze* New job... *dying gasp* New stuff... *collapses* Read on, my dear fans...**

**I don't own Kingdom Hearts and amazing fire-breathing lizard...things.**

* * *

My heart was pounding, the blood rushing up into my head as panic and fear settled in. Was I being taken to its' nest to be fed to its' carnivorous babies? Or had it decided I was worth eating itself and being taken to the very home of a lone dragon to be devoured? The scenarios became worse with each passing second as the Pearl Blood flew over the sea, effortlessly carrying me in its' clawed feet.

And then I remembered about Riku.

"Oh no…."

Riku was alone on that island, no doubt searching the entire perimeter for me. And when he finally realized what had happened to me, I would be long gone. Unless…would he attempt to rescue me? Find me somehow?

The dragon growled and sped up, wings flapping double time and going higher. My legs kicked air, feeling entirely afraid for my wellbeing. What was I going to do once it landed at its' destination? Would I have time to flee and save myself? I gulped, looking below in hopes of seeing something that could help me. Anything would be nice at this point. But looking about, it was nothing but endless, vast seas; I was doomed.

"Maybe I'll faint at the last second…that'll be better than staying awake while he eats me alive." I muttered.

As if it had heard me, it tightened its' grip on me, now beginning to cut off circulation. I shut my mouth and decided it was best that I don't go and piss it off, lest it get rid of me by simply releasing me from this dangerous height. There was no land in sight and even if I survived the drop, I knew I wouldn't live long in the waves.

So we soared onward.

* * *

Night had fallen and I was cold from the constant breeze I was getting as we flew. I was also exhausted. My body was numb and I wanted nothing more than to go and curl up next to the fire, talking with Riku and not worrying for my very life.

I yawned, my eyelids flickering. I could doze off for a little bit, right? I needed to rest at some point if I was going to have the energy to escape.

But the moment my eyes were shut, the Pearl Blood rustled its' wings and dived, waking me in a flash. I couldn't see anything in this darkness, but the night was quiet, with only the ocean waves crashing into each other. Had we finally arrived?

Before I had time to try and get my eyes to adjust, I felt its' claws let go of me. My hands scrambled the air to find something to hold onto, but my fingers touched nothing. I fell, expecting to meet my fate and die then and there, wishing I had had more time to get closer to Riku. He was such a good friend…

"I gotcha, I gotcha!"

"No, move aside, moron. I've got it."

"Ugh…boys…"

I heard the words, but they weren't registering in my brain like I knew they should. All I knew is that I was falling and I couldn't see anything and it was cold.

"Here he comes!"

I wanted to scream. Was I screaming?

"Aqua, go. We'll take care of him."

"Terra, pay attention!"

"Wha-whoa!"

My eyes were temporally blinded as a light came into existence out of the dark. Instinct forced me to shut my eyes…and then I was on the ground, laying on my back like I hadn't just fallen a couple thousand feet.

"Is he…?"

"No, he's fine. Just a little shaken up, I suppose."

"Allow me."

Warmth brushed against my forehead and I instantly felt my body relax and my heart slow down to a normal rate.

"How is he?"

"Fine. Let's wake him up now."

I could feel a hand shaking me gently, but I didn't want to open my eyes. Who _were_ these people?

"Hey. Open your eyes. You're safe."

"…are you sure…?" I dared to ask.

"Yes. Can you get up?"

My eyes opened, but I could barely see anything besides three dimly lit shadows standing over me, one holding a lantern that was almost burnt out.

"Who…are you?"

"Are you hurt anywhere?" a female voice asked.

"N...no."

A hand was held out to me, which I hesitated before taking, allowing myself to be pulled to my feet. Two of the three were taller than me, but the third was about my height, if not exactly.

"Who are you?" I pressed for an answer. "What happened to that dragon? Why am I still alive? Where am I?"

"Whoa, calm down with the questions there." A large hand lay on my shoulder and briefly squeezed it. "You'll get answers soon enough…" He then murmured, probably intending for me not to hear. "Hopefully."

I frowned. "Can you at least not look so creepy in the dark?"

"Oh! Sorry about that!" The lantern burned brighter immediately, shedding light on all four of us. "Better?"

I squinted, my eyes unused to the sudden light. As I adjusted, I took in the three profiles before me, slightly surprised.

The one who held the lantern was the female, one with short, blue hair and pale skin, dressed in a blue kimono of sorts, a white obi tied around her waist. She smiled and gave a slight bow.

"I'm Aqua. Pleased to finally meet you."

The tall male stood in a black shirt and tan hakama, his strangely spiked hair falling over his eyes as he looked down at me. I couldn't help but feel a bit nervous. He nodded his head at me.

"Terra." A hint of a smile crossed his features. "Don't look so scared."

The third member of the group was blond, spiked upward in an even weirder fashion than his companion. Wearing only a silver kimono of his own, he looked about my age. He smiled brightly and gave a deep bow at the waist before stepping closer to me.

"We're so glad to finally meet you, Sora!"

* * *

**Yep. That just happened. Right there. Yep.**

**So what do you guys think? Yes? No? Hate? Like? **

**Give me advice, feedback, ideas, anything! **

**Until the next chapter!**


	11. Chapter 11

**OMG, guys, I'm so sorry for repeating a chapter. I was half-asleep and didn't even bother paying attention until you guys pointed it out and...GAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! I promise to make it up to you. This one was meant to be the original chapter for you, so enjoy.**

**I don't own weirdness or Kingdom Hearts.**

* * *

"You…you know my name?"

He smiled and nodded. "Yeah! We've h-"

"Ven. No." Aqua butted in, stopping him mid-sentence.

He obeyed and shut his mouth, looking a little upset for a moment before a smile flooded his face again.

"Come on! We'll show you around!"

Before I could protest, he took my hand and excitedly pulled me into the dark, Aqua and Terra following behind. I stumbled along as Ven guided me through the dark, wishing I could see where I was going. It made me wonder how he was able to walk around in the dark without any need for something to show him the way.

"So this is where we live!"

The sound of crunching stone grinding against stone was loud, echoing around me. I cringed and tried to ignore it. Then, like a massive wave, bright light infiltrated the area; we were in a tunnel cave, one that appeared to be…not man-made, but certainly not created by the force of nature.

"Where _are_ we?"

"This," Terra stepped closer to me. "Is the Firestone Caves."

"Our home."

All around me was rock, with nooks and crannies of every sort. I could tell that this place was larger than it looked, due to the various smaller tunnels that seemed to lead to other places. People were everywhere, conversations and laughter echoing throughout the area. I had never seen such joyful, carefree people before. And I noticed the biggest factor that was clearly missing: no dragons in sight. Were these people like me, then? But…why had the dragon brought me here? Did it know that I was Unmarked or had it simply dropped me here on accident?

"Demyx, Xigbar!"

Two odd faces turned at the sound of Terra's strong voice, then walked over and exchanged greetings with Terra and Ven, Aqua smiling at them both.

"Soooo…who's the little squirt here?" the man with the black eye patch and jagged scar asked, giving me a disturbing smirk. "He's really pretty for such a little guy."

"Knock it off, Xiggy." Ven scolded. "Sora's not interested."

As if he recognized my name, his one eye lit up in raw delight and he leaned in closer, excitement written on his face.

"So _this_ is the one he's talked so much about…defiantly a good catch." He crossed his arms and huffed in annoyance. "Lucky bastard."

"He's a bit smaller than I pictured him to be, though…" the other one sprouting a dirty blond mullet muttered.

"He's a perfect size, Demyx." Aqua laughed.

I continued to stand there in silent confusion, wondering if I had hit my head somewhere along the way and I was having the most bizarre dream in history. Ven seemed to sense or notice my puzzled look and discomforted stance, which he immediately stepped closer and bumped my shoulder with his.

"Trying to take it all in at once, huh?" I could only nod. "Yeah, I was the same when I was taken here. I was at a loss, but now I'm…really..." He smiled and his eyes gleamed. "I'm happy here."

"But I was kidnapped by a…a dragon!" I whispered back. "Why would a random dragon send me here?"

His eyes took on a humorous tone. "Was it a white Pearl Blood dragon?"

"Yeah! And it…wait…how did you…?"

"Come on. I think it's best if I just show you instead." He went over and went on tiptoe, quickly whispering something into Terra's ear, who nodded and went back to speaking with Demyx. "Follow me."

I hesitated before deciding to obey, jogging to keep up with him; even in a kimono, he seemed to be able to keep at a faster pace than me.

I could only stare around me in amazement at the thousands of openings and large tunnels there seemed to be as he guided me off somewhere. Many waved or said hello, but their eyes always glanced over to me, as if I had been expected. Some looked surprised; others seemed excited. But no matter who we met along the way, they would always see me and smile, as if I belonged.

"So…"I racked my brain looking for a subject to start up a conversation, but nothing came to mind. "Uh…"

He stopped in his tracks and turned his head, his entire face shining with amusement. I stopped in my tracks as well, wondering what I had said to make him give me such a face.

"You're so silly, Sora." He chuckled. "Come on, we're almost there."

Again, I was left with more questions than answers, but I rushed after him, all the same. I was beginning to wonder how deep we had traveled inside this place, but I couldn't tell. There was no temperature change or increased pressure or any sign that we had even made any progress, due to the walls looking identical to the next area.

"The room is just through here." he said, pointing.

"What room?"

Instead of getting an answer, he simply went in that direction, walking through the tunnel with me at his heels. When we emerged back into the next adjoining area, my eyes immediately went to the one person there, currently shirtless and sitting at a wooden, handmade table, biting into a bright green apple. His eyes moved to us and he seemed to jump out of his chair.

"Finally!" He practically ran over to us, knocking his chair down in the process. "You're okay, right?"

My mouth opened and closed, but my voice was gone. All I could do was stare and gape at this man before me, who should be back at our island, freaking out about my disappearance. He grinned at me and ruffled my hair.

"Yeah, I know. Don't worry, though; you'll get your questions answered soon enough."

"R-R-R-Riku! Why are _you_ here?!"

He blinked then chuckled. "Guess you want those answers now, huh?"

"It would be nice if someone made some ounce of sense here, yeah." I huffed.

Those eyes gave me a playful wink. "Alright, alright. Ven, see to it that everyone gets the memo."

"Got it!" he said with a salute before running off.

Riku immediately went back to the table he had been at and picked up the fallen chair, setting it upright again before sitting in it.

"You can sit down too, you know." He waved at the opposite end of the table, where another chair was. "Relax. You've had quite an adventure getting here today and I want to try and answer as many of your questions as possible before fatigue gets to you."

I did as he requested and sat down, my eyes sweeping the room with slight interest. The place was large, but more by width than length. Homemade furniture of all sorts were set about the area, hinted with strange artifacts and relics that caught one's eye. If this was Riku's room, then why had he told me that he had no home when that certainly wasn't the case? Just another question to add to the list, I suppose.

"Do you like it? It took me years to acquire the perfect living space for everything." Riku informed me, leaning forward on the table with his elbows. "Everything here is either made by hand or magic and other things I found on my travels."

"So you lied to me." I stated, not expecting my mouth to blurt that out.

"Lied to you? About what?"

"You said you were banned from your homeland and had no place to call home; what do you call this?" I gestured around.

"Ah…" His eyes grew dark. "Just for the record, Sora, I _was_ banned. This place isn't where I was born, but a special area I found and created for others like me to live freely. People like us."

"…us?"

"Yes." He smirked. "Man, this is going to give you a lot to think about for the next couple of days."

"…I'm confused."

"You're going to be even more so in a moment." He stood to his feet and beckoned me to do the same. "Back up next to the door, would you? I'm gonna need some room for this."

Bewildered, I did so, my eyes glued to him. He took a deep breath, closing his eyes briefly before looking me straight in the eyes.

"Don't freak out, alright?" His eyes held slight concern and worry. "I just…want to get this part out of the way so you know ahead of time. I think I've held this secret in long enough from you."

I took another step back for good measure. "Secret? What secret?"

"Just watch."

He grit his teeth together and began to concentrate, his muscles straining. Fearful of what was about to unfold, I was sorely tempted to leave the room and never look back. But, for some reason, my feet remained where they were, unable to tear my eyes away from the handsome male.

And then the transformation started, taking me by surprise.

His hands were first, his skin becoming even paler than usual, turning as white as his hair. His fingernails grew as well, growing longer and sharper. His bare feet followed the same pattern, crawling up his legs at rapid speed. I gasped as the bones themselves seemed to twist and morph, changing into large, white thighs and going upward from there.

I could see the way his skin tone changed throughout his body, matching his hair to perfection. And that's when things took another sudden turn into the unknown. A slithering tail came into view, twitching and writhing as it grew longer and longer, finally landing onto the ground with a dull thud. Two odd lumps stretched his forehead skin, finally breaking free and growing backward above his skull.

Riku grunted and doubled over, trying to avoid clawing himself as his torso slowly stretched, pulling his body into a long strand of muscle and white skin. I had a clear view of his back, which is where I could see something straining underneath his upper back, wanting to be freed. My eyes widened in shock as two beautiful wings ripped through the surface of his skin, flapping briefly before relaxing. I couldn't breathe anymore, but part of me wanted to scream.

And then his face grew, from his ears all the way to the tip of his nose, pulling itself forward into a beastly profile of sharp teeth and narrowed eyes set on the sides of his face, his hair vanishing and all of his long body covering itself in scales. He fell forward, landing gracefully on his hands (feet?) and allowing the remaining transformation to finish and run its course.

I opened my mouth several times, but nothing came out. So my body did the next best thing it could think of to respond: I fainted.

* * *

**Welp...that just happened. _ **

**Answer any questions or suspicion? **

**Until the next one, which will have all the answers for you and our poor Sora.**

**P.S. Please forgive me, my precious readers!**


	12. Chapter 12

**And now I shall update this wondrous little story for you all. Enjoy~**

**I don't own Kingdom Hearts or dragons or...weirdos.**

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My mind and body was groggy once I began to wake. All of my limbs were heavy, wanting nothing more than for me to shut my mind down again and rest. My memory snapped me to attention, however, when it wearily brought my most recent moments to the surface, causing me to snap out of my sleepy state.

"Whoa! Sora, calm down, alright?"

I frantically looked around, my heart pounding and my chest heaving. It couldn't have been real…the whole thing was a hoax, a dream. And for a few seconds, it seemed like that was true. Riku was there, looking at me with worry in his eyes. Everything was normal again.

"I…sorry, I had a weird dream." I breathed.

He stared at me. "A dream?"

"Yeah. I was kidnapped and taken to some strange place and really weird people were there that knew my name. You were there, too. You turned into a dragon." I chuckled.

"…Sora. That wasn't a dream."

My smile vanished at hearing this, looking at him. His face was pinched with slight emotion, but he said nothing else to me. That's when I took in my surroundings and realized what he said was true; I was still in that large room, laying down on a pile of unknown skins.

The dream hadn't been a dream at all.

"…I must be going insane. " I groaned, rubbing my face with my hands. "This isn't happening right now."

"Sora, would you just relax?" Riku huffed, sitting down beside me. "I know that my transformation and all this is a lot to take in, but you don't need to freak out about it."

"So…you actually did…" I sat up slowly, unable to tear my eyes away from him. "So you're that dragon?"

"The very same." he replied.

"And…back at the island?" I couldn't help but ask.

"I was foolish for trying to fly through that previous storm and ended up nearly drowning. If it hadn't been for your island, I would have been dead."

"Why did you kidnap me, then?"

"I wanted to show you this place…it was obvious that you were lonely. Being on that island, all isolated, wasn't good for you, so I decided to take you with me."

"Then…what are you?"

"A shapeshifter would be the best way to describe me in words. I've been able to change into a dragon since my birth." I watched as his hand twisted and formed a dragon's claw before returning to normal. "My mother and father kept it a secret as best they could, but it's a secret you can't easily hide."

"So…since you're both a dragon and a human, does that mean you're not Unmarked?"

"I'm Unmarked from both sides, Sora." he sighed.

I shut my mouth and decided I had gotten enough answers for now and the remaining questions I had could wait to be solved. Riku stood to his feet and looked down at me thoughtfully, all traces of sadness gone.

"Come with me. I need you to try on a special yukata I had made just for you. You'll want it once we get deeper into these caves."

I got up and followed him towards the back of the room, where a curtain divided the main room from a smaller one, which appeared to be a closet of sorts. And in the very back, a beautiful blue and red garment hung. I stared at it in wonder as he took it and held it out to me.

"I've never wore one of these before." I said, taking it carefully.

"It's basically a kimono. Just put it on and I can help you with the rest, alright?" He walked out of the closet to give me privacy. "And I have a pair of geta if you want to wear them."

"I remember these." I said as I pulled my shirt over my head. "I've seen these worn on the mainland"

He chuckled. "They're used for special occasions, Sora. But most people wear them here cause its better."

"I'm used to being barefoot, you know. I don't need the sandals."

My pants fell to the ground and kicked aside with my other clothes. I smiled as I pulled the robe on, admiring the way it slid fondly over my skin. Was this what silk felt like?

"Can I come in and help you finish putting it on yet?" Riku called.

"Uh…" I hastily wrapped it around my body. "Yeah."

He stepped back inside and snickered at the way I was covering myself, walking past me to grab something from a shelf.

"This'll keep it tied up, so hold still."

The article of clothing he held looked like a giant, yellow ribbon to me, but said nothing. He then stood behind me and began to wrap the silk around my waist, to which I could only hold my breath, very aware of his closeness.

"And…there." He turned me around and chuckled. "You can stop trying to cover yourself now."

I lowered both my hands and face, allowing him to fix the robe to his liking. He stepped back and surveyed me. A smile formed on his face.

"You look perfect. Come on, I wanted to introduce you to some more people before the celebration." He took my hand and began to drag me out of the house, obviously excited. "You've already met Terra and Ven, right? And Aqua? She's beautiful, isn't she?"

"Wait…celebration? For what?"

He either ignored me or didn't hear my question. "And you've probably met a few other people, I'm guessing?"

"Uh…yeah, but-"

"You know, I think you and R-"

"_Riku!_" It was Terra, rushing at us with inhuman speed. "He's back again!"

The fun-loving, energetic aura evaporated from my friend, his aquamarine eyes narrowing in anger. He released my hand and the two stepped aside out of ear-shoot to have a private, but short, conversation. I watched as the two spoke for a few moments before both nodded and Terra ran back the way he had come. Riku came back to my side, that look of anger still clear on his face.

"What's going on?" I couldn't help asking.

"Let's just say an acquaintance of mine decided to show up." he snarled, sounding quite similar to his dragon counterpart.

A few others raced past us, some dressed in kimonos and yukatas while others wore simple clothes. From the looks of things, they were all headed in the same direction that Terra had gone. Who was this uninvited guest that I had shown up? How could the arrival of one being infuriate Riku so much?

A loud, ear-splitting roar suddenly echoed throughout the caverns, bouncing around the rocky walls and shaking the floor with its force. I clasped my hands to my ears in hopes of blocking it out, but the noise vibrated through my body in such a painful manner that it was useless. Riku's arm wrapped around my shoulders, holding me close to him, but I found the comforting embrace did nothing to stop my muscles from twitching and my head from aching with pain.

"What…was that?" I whispered.

"…he always did like making himself noticed. Damn him." He pulled away from and began to run. "Stay there, Sora! I'll be back soon!"

"Wait, I wanna come with you!" I called back, but he was already gone.

I stood there, alone, dazed and confused, wondering why my life seemed to revolve around such unwelcome surprises. And then I realized that I shouldn't just stand there and wait for my friend to come back; I was going to find him first and find out what was going on. By myself, if I had to.

* * *

**Ah, yes. Wonder who decided to barge in and spoil the party, huh? Anyone wanna guess?**

**As for the previous chapter, I'm so sorry for my stupid mistake. Yes, I didn't continue onto the next chapter after i found out because i was currently in the form of moving, so that was a thing that wasn't happening any time soon. Forgive me, please?**

**I love you all, my readers! Until next time!**


	13. Chapter 13

**Another chapter~**

**Ah, this one was out to ruin my life...ANYWAY!**

**I don't own Kingdom Hearts, dragons or Japanese clothing.**

* * *

Running as fast as I could, I attempted to find Riku among the throng of so many people, but it was useless to do, seeing as there were too many of them. My height didn't help matters, but I decided to just keep moving along and follow everyone else, seeing as they were all going to one designated area. I found that area to be the outside entrance, the sun just beginning to set, by the looks of it.

The massive amount of people collecting outside was astounding, to say the least. Hundreds, if not thousands, had pressed through to the outside world for one uninvited guest. I craned my neck, but had no way of seeing anything.

"Ugh…stupid tall people…" I looked around me in hopes of finding something to stand on, at least elevate me somewhere to a better view of what was happening. "Come on, there's gotta be-"

My eyes fastened upon a simple crevice along the rock wall, certainly high enough for me to see. Grinning, I shoved through the crowd to the wall and instantly began to climb up, careful not to slip and somehow fall off.

"_I told you to never come back here again!_" I flinched at the booming tone, looking over my shoulder. I wasn't high enough to see anything, but that voice had unmistakably been Riku. "_You were banned for a reas-_"

I scurried up to the crevice and pressed my body into it, glad that my skinny self fit into it so well and no one could see up my yukata if they looked up. I had a clear viewpoint from up above here. I could just spot the sea in the distance, the waves still the same as ever. I gazed back to the crowd, which was still growing, somehow, and my focus immediately centered on Riku and another person, whose back was turned towards me. Riku's face, though, was in full view and I could practically feel the animosity radiating off of him.

"_Vanitas. Leave._" Riku snarled.

I held my breath as the stranger stood completely still, having not made a move or spoke a single word this entire time. It was unnerving even just watching from this distance. And then, out of nowhere, he slowly turned around and his face was revealed to me, my body suddenly seizing up in terror.

He had yellow eyes, for starters, ones that suspiciously glowed in a way that I didn't like. The smirk on his face showed he had no problem with doing whatever pleased or fancied him, confident and cocky all rolled into one. The clothing he wore was unusual and strangely foreign, but intrigued me; it seemed to be an odd black suit of sorts, all attached together, even to the blood-red cape. But I was barely paying any of that mind. Out of all that, my main thought was this:

_He looks just like _me.

His eyes appeared to zoom in on me, picking me out of the crowd easily. I pushed myself further into the crack, wanting to vanish from those eyes, but he never strayed. How had he spotted me so quickly?

"It seems you've got a special guest over, Riku." His voice, though dark and low, bounced off the rock walls, smug as can be. "Mind introducing us?"

Riku's face paled somewhat, scouting out the area until he found me, countless others looking to where I was. Self-conscious now, I contemplated whether I should get down and run back inside or just stay up here, far away from those golden eyes. Before I could make a choice in either action, though, the stranger began walking my way. Every being nervously stepped aside, giving him easy access right to me.

"Stay away from him, Vanitas. Leave."

"But I just got here. And wouldn't that be so rude to kick me out without a proper introduction." He stopped right underneath me, looking up with amusement. "I must say, he's certainly not much. Rather plain-looking, if you ask me."

Awkwardly, I did my best to keep my mouth shut. Riku made his way over to us, grabbing hold of his arm in such an aggressive manner that seemed bruising. Their eyes met, but neither backed down. The sound of the sea carried into the opening, bouncing around.

"You always were one to pick a fight over nothing." Riku glared at the accusation, saying nothing. "Fine, have it your way."

"I will, one way or another." Riku snapped.

Smirking up at me one last time, he wandered off towards the edge of the area. I watched, stunned, as he transformed before my eyes into a gruesome nightmare of a dragon, his scales a mixture of blood-red and black, put together with curling horns and a deadly spine of spikes. His wings unfurled, showing off the tattered underside, before hopping over the edge and into the sky.

"Sora." I had forgotten Riku was still standing beneath me. "Come down."

I did so with less of a struggle than I thought, jumping down the rest of the way in front of him. His face was guarded, which made it all the more obvious that he was upset and in no mood to talk.

"I'll go back to your room." I whispered, giving him a small smile. "Mind having someone show me the way?"

He forced a little smile of his own and beckoned Terra over to escort me back, looking exhausted and uptight. For some reason, I had a feeling I was the guilty one for doing that to him, or at least being a part of it.

Terra said nothing to me throughout the entire time; at least, not until the very end as I made my way inside Riku's room.

"You're either really brave or completely insane." I paused to give him a confused look. "Riku nearly had a breakdown when Vanitas spotted you, but you seemed fine. Honestly, I don't get how you weren't bawling your eyes out or even remotely frightened by that guy. His presence is unsettling enough."

I shrugged, pretending to be unnerved. "He seemed rather weird, what with the eyes and all, but he's not scary."

Terra barked out a laugh and turned, walking away. "You're certainly one interesting character, Sora."

I didn't know what that meant, but I wasn't going to ask him. I watched as he went back the way we had come, then went inside, flopping onto the bed of skins with a sigh. It had been a long day and as much as I wanted to go find Riku and get him to talk to me about everything, I knew him well enough that he would keep his mouth shut and say nothing to me.

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**So there was our wonderful guest star! Anyone surprised? :D**

**No...? Oh...well...this is awkward...**

**Until the next chapter~**


	14. Chapter 14

**YAY! Update! I'm happy~**

**Read on!**

**I don't own Kingdom Hearts or dragons.**

* * *

It was quite a few hours before Riku returned to his room, exhausted and irritated. I had spent my time sleeping and inspecting all the oddities in the room, many of which were still a mystery to me, but I had gotten bored over time and had been sitting at the table, staring blankly at the doorway. Riku was quick to enter and sit down at the table with me, putting his head in his hands, sighing heavily.

It was quiet for a while until he finally raised his head, eyes boring into mine. Again, still silence, which got me to squirm uncomfortably in my seat. Those eyes were the eyes of a dragon, and even in human form, he held that power and intimidation. He caught the action immediately and relaxed the intense glare.

"Sorry. I tend to make people unsettled without even realizing it." He brushed his hair with his fingers and licked his lips. "Are you…doing okay?"

"Yeah."

He blinked at me, apparently not expecting the quick response. I grinned and leaned forward, liking the surprised expression he wore.

"You honestly think that some weirdo lookalike is going to have me running for the hills just because he likes to put on a show? Come on, Riku." I laughed. "You know me better than that."

His face softened into a smile of his own, one that I loved to see most of all. It was a rare smile that only came out when he was truly happy.

"I suppose so. Guess I'm just worried for nothing, huh?" He pushed his chair back and stood to his feet. "You wanna go and ride with me? I need some fresh air and your presence will help me to calm down. Honestly, I'm still irked by this morning."

"What time is it now?" I asked.

"It's way past midnight. Probably one or two in the morning, so it'll be dark out." He eyed me. "You got some sleep, right?"

"Yep. This place has my time all screwed up, so I just slept whenever." I stood up as well. "Lead the way."

He smirked and put out his arm for me to take, which I did. Arm in arm, we made our way out the door and into the hallway of the cave. There were a few out and about, some in groups and others walking along by themselves. I was curious of what they could possibly be doing at this time of night, but I suppose it didn't matter here where time was irrelevant.

"So what do you think of Firestone Caves?"

"It's…so…different." I wasn't good with words. "It's definitely better than being alone on that island."

He chuckled and waved to a young girl with short, black hair before moving a bit faster, his features having relaxed and taken on that familiar warmth I liked.

"I'm glad you like it here. It would have been upsetting if you didn't."

I nudged him with my body and laughed as he stumbled to the side before doing the same to me. I felt so at ease now that he was here. I didn't have all the answers and there were many questions that had surfaced since I had been brought here, but I wasn't in a rush to demand any answers right now. Right now, I was with a friend and that was comforting enough.

* * *

Outside, I finally took in the detail of the cliff, amazed by the way it had a dome covering most of it before opening itself to the outside world. The night was cloudy, but the moon was bright enough to shed light down into the sea that crashed below. It looked oddly hypnotizing and I finally had to force myself to look away. Riku chuckled once I had snapped out of my stupor.

"Lovely, isn't it? I love riding out at this time of night." He gestured for me to move. "Give me some space so I can get this part over with."

I scooted away as he squared his shoulders and inhaled slowly, closing his eyes. Again, that amazing transformation he went through blew me away. It was even more so when the moonlight was filtering in the dome and hitting his person at every right angle.

In a matter of moments a Pearl Blood stood before me, its eyes looking down at me in a way that glued my feet to the floor. He lowered himself to the ground, eyes still focused on me, indicating for me to climb onto his back. I gulped, forcing my feet to go forward and, scrabbling to get onto his back, finally settled myself and leaned forward.

"Okay, I think I won't fall off. But this stupid yukata isn't very comfortable for sitting like this." I felt his scales vibrate beneath me and pouted when I realized he was laughing at me. "Shut up and just take off."

He stood to his feet, his wings unfolding from his body and stretching to its full length. I gasped as he walked forward and leaned off the edge of the cliff, automatically clinging onto him with all my strength. In the moonlight, I could see rocks and crashing waves against the cliffside. A shiver ran down my spine as I automatically tightened my hold, pressing my forehead to his scales and taking a deep breath.

"Hurry up and take off before I change my mind." I mumbled.

His wings unfurled slowly, shimmering from the strong light of the moon. I held my breath as he slowly dipped downward, allowing gravity to pull him off the edge and down below into the crashing waves. His wings were tugged close to his body, the wind rushing past me. I closed my eyes.

Immediately, I felt my stomach drop as his wings unfurled and abruptly stopped him from going any further. Opening my eyes, I sighed in relief at seeing we had begun to ascend towards the sky instead, away from dangerous waters. The view, though it was night, was still breathtaking. I turned to look behind us and my eyes widened when I saw a massive rock shaped in a very familiar shape.

"Firestone is a _volcano_?!" His scales vibrated again as he flicked his wings and soared higher. "Riku, you guys are insane! That thing could activate any moment!"

I didn't get a reply, obviously, but his large head glanced back at me, his gemstone eye glittering. Damn guy just loved to get me roused and find it the funniest thing ever. Rolling my eyes, I sighed and leaned forward, laying down on him. My eyes began to shut of their own accord, despite having slept so much today. Maybe i would do so for a few minutes...

* * *

I woke to the strong scent of food, my body warm and limp. I didn't want to wake up, but my growling stomach thought otherwise. Groaning in despair at my predicament, I raised my head and blinked the sleep from my eyes until I could see properly.

"There he is, the great lazy bones. Why am I not surprised that you woke up for food?" Riku chuckled.

He was standing beside the table, which had a huge platter of strange, yet delicious-looking, food sitting on it. Steam was wafting from it and my stomach kindly reminded me to get up. Riku laughed once more.

"Shut up…" I mumbled, sitting up. "When did I fall asleep…?"

"During the ride last night. It was funny to watch you snore away like that." he replied, sitting down.

"I don't snore!"

"I beg to differ." He winked. "Now come get some food. You haven't eaten anything in almost 24 hours and I can't have that."

I did so, pouting dramatically as I plopped down into the other chair, bluntly ignoring the male sitting across from me. My eyes took in the foreign food, staring at it in hopes that any of it looked even slightly similar to what I ate. Riku snorted and picked up an odd fruit (?) that appeared to be a rock, holding it out to me.

"Eat."

I took it and blinked down at it for a moment, turning it over and over in my hands before cautiously sniffing it. It held no scent, however, which didn't help to quench my suspicions. Insistent, he pushed it closer to me in a silent order to take a bite. I gave him a look before slowly biting into it, surprised at the soft texture. It was almost like a peach that had been disguised as a rock, but even sweeter than any fruit I had tasted in the past. I greedily took another bite and didn't bother with the juice that dripped down my chin. It was finished much too soon.

"What _was_ that?" I asked, now wondering what everything else tasted like. "I mean, it tasted like…like…I don't even know!"

Riku picked up one and smiled at me. "Awesome, aren't they? Found out that they only grow in here. Tried to farm them around the world, but the seeds themselves don't even last that long. It needs an unbelievable amount of heat in order to survive and then thrive." He took a bite of it. "We call them 'amaiwa'."

The two of us sat there for a long while, laughing, eating and talking while the hours went by. This was nice. It felt comfortable. It felt right.

It was disappointing when Terra and Aqua entered and said they needed Riku for a bit, both of them waving to me as left to go stand outside while Riku stayed for a few moments to talk privately with me.

"You shouldn't stay in here all day, so feel free to go and explore. Meet a few people and such. Just…" He frowned and put a hand on my shoulder and gave a serious stare. "Just don't go outside on your own. Please. For your own good."

I was stunned and could only nod, which seemed to put him at ease. He said his farewell and walked out of the room, leaving me to fend for myself. I finally shrugged and picked up another rock fruit, biting thoughtfully into it.

"Well…guess I can find someone who knows where the baths are."

* * *

**I made up the fruit on the spot. Even I don't know how my brain came up with it.**

**Hope you liked the way these to interact and such~**

**Until next time!**


	15. Chapter 15

**After clawing my way out of the dark hole of stress, I have finally completed another chapter. I enjoy this cute chapter, so don't expect anything too serious. **

**Enjoy~!**

**I don't own Kingdom Heart or baths.**

* * *

The first person I happened to stumble across was Demyx, who was more than eager to show me the way to the bathing area, talking animatedly along the way. He was very energetic and easy to get along with, which I was glad for. I was nervous enough in this unfamiliar place and all these strangers around me.

Which, since I had brought it up, was rather uncomfortable for me even more so when every single person that passed waved or smiled at me. At first, I believed it was Demyx they were paying attention to, which I was completely fine with. However, I began to take notice of the fact that Demyx wasn't the one they were directed at, but…me. As if they knew me. Slightly unsettled, I moved closer to the him.

"Is there any particular reason why everyone seems to know who I am? Or is that just a normal thing here, being familiar with strange people?"

Demyx gave me a bemused look. "You're yankin' my chain here, right?"

"Um…no."

He nearly stopped walking altogether. "Wait, hold the dragon fire. You seriously believe that we don't know anything about you?"

"That sounds a bit stalker-ish, Demyx. Care to explain?"

"Heh, you might want to tell that to your best friend later."

I frowned. "You mean Riku?"

"He's the reason we know your name, along with a few other…" He paused and chuckled. "Tidbits. We've accepted you long before we decided to take you in."

He guided me to a large doorway, which opened up into a variety of rooms, some of which had coverings on the doors for privacy. It looked so comfortable, despite the sudden rush of hot steam that came at my face in waves. At least out in the main hall the heat was bearable for me.

"The bathing area. Males go over to this room." He pointed to a large, blue sheet and led me inside. "You're welcome to any soap or cleansing product here."

The entirety of the room was oval-shaped, with a large river running down the length of it, surrounded by stone benches. There weren't many in here, which I was glad for. I wasn't exactly comfortable with having others see me exposed.

"Towels sit over there," He pointed towards the back, where a large pile of towels awaited me. "I'll make sure to grab you something nice to wear from your room, so don't worry about that. Go on and relax, okay?"

I gladly thanked him and watched as the man left, now alone and left to my own devices once more. Doing my best to ignore the few others that occupied the room, I stripped down and stepped into the flowing river, gasping in surprise at the warmth of the water that hit my body instantly. Wading in, I sighed in relief and shut my eyes, enjoying the way the tension slowly left my body.

"Hey, Sora. Didn't expect to see you here."

I opened my eyes and turned around to see Ven, a wide smile on his face, a bundle of fresh clothes in his arms.

"Enjoying our bath house? Awesome, isn't it?" He set the clothes down onto a bench and began to undress, which I was quick to look away from, my cheeks growing hotter. "I brought your clothes, by the way. Demyx intercepted me halfway and asked me to, so whenever you want to get out and dress, it's right here."

I heard clothes flutter to the ground, followed by a slight splash and a long sigh. I finally turned my head again to see the strangest expression on his face.

"What?"

"You're rather odd, Sora. You weren't this self-conscious when it was just you and Riku."

Confusion, followed by surprise and embarrassment when I realized what he was talking about. "You know about that?!"

He laughed and swam past me, grabbing at one of the many glass bottles of liquid set upon a low shelf above the water, proceeding to shake a dollop of it into his open hand. I could see that there were mysterious sparkles in it, shining in the light.

"We all know about that wonderful scene of him running in on you on the island. Demyx practically forced it out of him. Everyone knows about it, really." He held out the liquid. "Shampoo?"

"Uh…thanks." I shook some out and stared at it. "What's with the weird sparkles?"

"Fairy magic. Really packs a punch and keeps us clean for a long period of time. It's why we don't usually use these baths a lot. Dragons can get dirty easily."

Tentatively, I stuck it in my hair and rubbed it into my scalp, then laughed as Ven began to create a mohawk with the suds in his hair.

"You look ridiculous." I chuckled.

"Oh yeah? Says the spiky porcupine-head over here." He splashed me playfully before ducking under the water to rinse off. "Besides, I look good in anything."

I instantly splashed him back and laughed as he coughed and sputtered out water, his blonde hair still able to defy gravity, something my hair happened to do as well.

"What was that for?!"

"I'm no porcupine. The only odd one here is you, Ducktail."

With an exaggerated gasp, he tackled me, pulling me under the warm water. It was within this moment that things took an unexpected turn for me. I easily could open my eyes under the water, but with the two of us struggling about, there was no way I could. With only bubbles in my view (and some flailing limbs), I was completely unprepared for an entirely different set of limbs to wrap around my waist and pull me above the thrashing water.

"I come in here and find you both messing around like dragokils! I swear…"

Ven, with a wide grin, didn't hesitate to splash both Riku and I, disregarding the playful scowl on my friend. Riku instantly released me to make his way to Ven, giving me a clear view of pale skin and muscle…and nothing else to the imagination. I blushed and turned my head in embarrassment. I had never seen him reveal so much before and the rather welcoming images of other things popped into my head before I could stop them.

"Sora, mind getting your head out of the clouds there?"

I turned my head back to my friends, with Riku holding Ven in a playful headlock and both wearing matching grins. Hoping I wasn't still red in the face, I smiled.

"Sorry, it's hard not to with you around." Riku's expression instantly changed, which had me backtrack a little. My face burned. "I-I mean, because you're a dragon and all! Ya know, wings and the flying and all…"

Riku's face became neutral for a moment before cracking a tense smile. "You're so weird, Sora."

I watched as he ventured off to grab two glass bottles, proceeding to clean himself. With a small groan, I sunk lower into the water up to my chin, wishing there was some way I could hide. I suppose if I just dunked my head down a little lower, I could…

* * *

**Oh Sora, you're too adorable when you're embarrassed. Riku's acting odd...I wonder why. Maybe it has to do with earlier, while he was gone...**

**By the by, DRAGOKILS are just dragon babies. :P**


	16. Chapter 16

**Another chapter was all ready, but I needed to go back and reread it to change a few things.**

**So yes, there will probably be another chapter coming your way sooner than you think. ;)**

**I don't own dragons or fire...oh, or Kingdom Hearts.**

* * *

Keeping my distance from Riku and Ven, I was quick to clean myself before getting out and wrapping a towel around myself, my body temperature spiking at seeing Riku looking at me out of the corner of my eye. This heat was really getting to me…

"Uh, I'm gonna go on ahead and uh…yeah." Worst explanation ever, but it was all my fried brain could muster. "See ya later, Ven!"

I ran out with only a towel to cover myself and my clothes cradled in one arm. I got a few weird looks, but no one bothered to stop me or laugh in any way. So many people were staring…I felt so out of my element here. Why hadn't I asked to be taken home from day one? Or at least when that lookalike of me had barged in? This was far out of my comfort zone and I…I just couldn't handle being around these odd people with strange openness and…honest understanding.

With the help of a few people I came by, I was able to make it to Riku's room and get dressed, the heat having dried me long before. I enjoyed the colorful yukata, reminding me of a sunset that had begun to fade into night. It suited me well.

"_Riku! He's returned and he says he won't leave until yo-_" I spun around as Ven ran into the room, his blue eyes wide in shock at the sight of me. "Uhhh…you're not Riku. Crap."

I frowned. "What's wrong? Is everything okay, Ven?"

He returned the expression. "Where's Riku? He's usually always with you."

"He was at the bath when I left, remember? He might still be there."

Without another word, he rushed out of the room again, muttering something under his breath. Concerned, I peeked out of the room, immediately noticing the difference that met me. There were people in groups of two or three, whispering and rushing about as if they were all trying to hide. What was going on?

Stepping out, I begun to wander around, looking for a familiar face amongst the strangers. A few heads turned my way and pointed me out, which unnerved me greatly. If only I hadn't left Riku so quickly.

"_SORA!_" I jumped in fright and looked to see Riku, eyes narrowed as he stormed towards me, yukata only tied to cover the lower part of his body. He looked like he had come here in a rush. "Get back in my room. Don't come out until I send someone to say so."

Puzzled, I responded with, "Uh…is something wrong?"

He stopped in front of me and grabbed me by the forearms, his grip tight as he leaned in close. I could see the ferocity in his eyes, burning with a dragon's anger and strength. My heart increased in palpitations.

"_Just do what I said. Please._"

I couldn't find it in myself to disagree when it was said in such a tone of urgency and absolute power. Once I gave a small nod, he gave huge sigh of relief and released me, running a hand through his wild hair. He began taking deep breaths while he properly dressed himself, obviously deep in thought. I tried to keep my eyes on the ground instead of on the many muscles that were on display for all to see.

"Roxas. Ven. Please make sure Sora doesn't go running off. Keep tabs on my door until I send Aqua to give you pardon." He brought my chin up to look him in the eyes. "And Sora…don't do anything insane, alright?"

The gentle tone calmed me. "No promises."

He chuckled, but it sounded forced. He then beckoned to a few people to follow after him as he walked away, tense in every aspect. Ven came up beside me.

"Let's go. You heard him."

That's when I saw double.

"Roxas, don't be rude. This is Riku's special guest. He's just like you and I."

The other Ven (Roxas?) huffed and proceeded to head back to Riku's room, clearly in no mood to argue back and forth with his (obvious) twin.

"Hurry up."

* * *

It was only for about half an hour before something actually happened. And no, it wasn't Aqua coming to say all was well. Instead, we were given an earthshattering roar, followed by another, deeper one. I tensed at the noise that reverberated around the room before it was replaced with more of the same loud roars. I sat up in the bed and listened intently.

"Should we go out there?!" Ven asked, posed by the door as if he was going to book it any second. "That was definitely Riku!"

"NO! We leave, he'll have our heads. We were told to keep an eye on the guy and nothing else until further notice." Roxas shot back, though he looked just as willing to run out, too.

They exchanged only looks as the sound of growls, snarls and roars grew to a crescendo, other ones joining the two. It sounded like the entire mountain was furious.

"_ROXAS! Get out here! NOW!_" screamed an unfamiliar voice from outside the door.

Roxas didn't hesitate and practically flew out, leaving me and Ven alone in the room. The noise was getting closer, it seemed like. I couldn't understand what was going on, but it clearly wasn't good. Was Riku in more trouble than he could handle?

Demyx suddenly burst in, breathing heavily and shaking. Ven ran over and put an arm around his friend's shoulders, wincing as the noise grew in intensity.

"Riku…Vanitas…group came…attacked…" Demyx wheezed out. "Damn they're tough as nails…"

Ven looked at me and nodded his chin to a chair, which I bounced over to grab and bring to them, allowing Demyx a moment to breathe. He sank into it without giving me a glance, head hanging against his chest. With disheveled hair and strangely tattered clothes that he didn't have before, I was quickly growing more and more suspicious than anything else. What the hell was going on?

"Demyx, stay here with Sora. They're going to need me out there, I know." Ven gave me a stern look. "Stay. Here."

I didn't have a chance to reply as he ran out, leaving me with a breathless man and no answers. Terrific.

However, that didn't exactly happen due to the sudden reappearance of Roxas, a panicked look on his face, sweating profusely.

"Get up! We have to get out of here right now!" Roxas opened his mouth to protest, clearly still trying to catch his breath. "_NOW!_"

The command brought Demyx to his feet and eyeing the door with unease while Ven came to me and grabbed my wrist. I wasn't prepared for the immense bout of white flames that entered the room. Roxas shouted to back up, pressing the three of us as far back as we could, the flames disappearing for a moment before starting back up once more.

"What should we do now?!"

Roxas shook his head and continued staring at the doorway of fire, which surprisingly hadn't caught anything aflame. My head felt rather light.

"We have to do _something!_ We stay here, Sora's going to either burn alive or die from lack of oxygen!"

* * *

**Well then. Wonder what the hell is going on now? Talk about sudden encounter.**

**Until the next chapter!**


	17. Chapter 17

**Here! Enjoy! You demand it, you get it!**

**By the way, thank you all for asking for another chapter. It drove me to leave home and sit at a Starbucks just to write this. **

**I don't own Kingdom Hearts or flying lizards.**

* * *

Demyx looked at me as another bout of fire burst into the room, making the heat unbearable and giving me a severe headache. My chest hurt…my throat hurt…my head…

"Sora needs to get out of here. Roxas, take him out of here. As far as possible. I'll go and check to make sure Ven is okay."

Roxas looked extremely grateful and less tense. He nodded and tugged at my arm as more flames engulfed half the room now. I was in a huge amount of pain and the fact that he was pulling me _towards_ the fire didn't calm my nerves in any way. I fought against him and attempted to pull away from his grip, but he was certainly stronger than he looked. As more fire made its way in, Roxas looked me in the eyes.

"Get ready. Steer clear of as many flames as you can."

"Wait, what?!"

He didn't give further explanation and turned, hunching down in a running position as he eyed the doorway for an opening. I shook my head and feebly tried to break away from the blond maniac, but he didn't release me. Demyx stepped up beside me and put a hand on my shoulder.

"Sora, trust us. We know what we're doing. Riku wants you protected at all costs and Roxas will certainly hold to that." He looked at Roxas. "Go!"

Roxas didn't even look behind him to see if I was on board with all this, yanking me forward with a surprising amount of strength as blue flames vanished from sight, followed by a quaking wail of a wild animal. Heart pounding, we rushed out of the room and entered into the hall, which was crowded with dragons of every shape and size. Stomping around, breathing flames of white and blue and even purple at one another as they clawed and bit and flapped their wings. My lungs seized up in fearful awe at the spectacle.

"Come on!" Roxas shouted at me.

I gasped as he threw me out of the way of a huge spout of white fire, becoming completely covered with it. I was frozen on my hands and knees, staring at where the blond had once been, the fire now having turned him into nothing but ash. He had just risked his life…for me.

The flames stopped as the dragon, oblivious to what it had just done, continued battling against another. Sickened, I turned my head away before I saw the remains of Roxas, forcing myself to my feet. This was so sudden and I had no clue what to do or where I should go.

"Sora, you idiot! Don't just stand there!" I moved to turn, but a hand grabbed me and tugged me forward, throwing a small smirk over his shoulder. "What, thought I was dead?"

"…Roxas."

"Ha! It'll take more than some flames to take me out. We dragons are more immune to flames than anything else on the planet." He grinned as he guided me, weaving in and out of dragon fights. "However, it's a great annoyance on our skin, so it's not a completely useless weapon for us. My skin will be itching and burning for weeks to come."

I knew that what I was seeing was real, but my body felt…out of it. I wasn't really here, watching and seeing everything that was going on around me. Dragons. Fire. Shapeshifters. It was all just some elaborate dream and I was watching it unfold at a distance.

Roxas laughed as he jumped over a spiked tail and I followed suit, then ducking as two dragons flew low overhead. Roxas looked back at me as he pointed ahead of us, where a massive horde of dragons were all circling around the cliffside, with many flying further above in the sky. Roxas skid to a halt as a dragon was shoved backwards towards our path, slamming into the ground before going limp.

"This way!"

It was harder to weave through this time, but Roxas was quick and didn't hesitate to push me out of the line of fire (pun not intended) if needed. However, he couldn't protect me from everything.

Neither of us saw the large wing come our way, but we certainly felt it as it hit us both, sweeping us apart and sending us flying in opposite directions. By the time my brain caught up with what had just happened, my body tilted as gravity took me right over the cliff. I scrambled to find something, anything, to hold onto and my hand snatched up a spiked tail and held on for dear life, shouting Roxas' name at the top of my lungs.

A loud roar. The tail pulled me up and away from danger, only to bring me face to face with a very familiar and dangerous blood-red and black dragon, its' gold eyes going wide before narrowing in obvious glee. My stomach dropped in horror.

"Vanitas." I gulped.

His scales vibrated as held me higher and higher, then put me back over the cliffside again and let me hang there, as if waiting for something.

"_**DON'T!**_"

I looked down and saw Riku, who seemed to have just transformed back into human form, his hair disheveled and blood dripping down his leg. Vanitas growled and shook his tail, my grip slipping as I desperately tried holding on.

"_**Let him go, Vanitas!**_"

That large face, hideous and terrifying all at once, looked at me with a wicked gleam in his eye. I stared back and it hit me like a ton of bricks right as he flung me off his tail and let me go over the cliff. Riku shouted something as my stomach heaved. I could see Riku transform once more as Vanitas blocked him from getting to me, his white flames submerging the murderous dragon before diving for me.

I could feel the cold splash of the waves and the dooming rocks as they neared, but I still reached out a hand, wanting nothing more than to be safe and sound beside my friend. My friend who had done everything he could to protect me and was now about to watch me die right before his eyes.

"Riku."

* * *

**...so that just happened.**


	18. Chapter 18

**Again, a bit short, but this was for a good reason. Read and find out why! **

**I own nothing~**

* * *

I shut my eyes, not wanting to see the broken look on that special White Pearl dragon that had become my friend. I waited for the inevitable pain. Pain that didn't come.

As I opened my eyes, there was a feeling of weightlessness as the sky seemed less far away. Riku, still in dragon form, was flying right above me, his eyes showing anger and worry. I blinked back.

"What…happened?"

The ground beneath me shook. Ground that felt more like smooth silk one way and bumpy thorns another way. I turned onto my stomach and found myself on the back of a Sunstone dragon, its' large wings flapping harder to gain altitude.

Whose back was I on? Who had saved me? I took a wild guess.

"…Ven?"

The reply was a loud roar, but a reply nonetheless. I smiled and looked up to Riku, who nodded to me before diving back down into the fray. Ven flew off into the distance before turning around and hovering in the air, giving us both a clear view of the chaos.

I could clearly see Riku, his body twisting and maw snapping at Vanitas, who used his massive wings to slap him away before clawing and biting at him. Fire spewed every which way, with roars of anger and pain ringing throughout the sky. It was an amazing sight, but one that had my stomach curled into knots. Riku, though he was taking hits from his opponent, was obviously winning the upper hand as he forced Vanitas to step backward to the cliff.

Ven suddenly snarled and I had no warning before he dove down towards the sea, his wings pressed close against his body. My hands scrambled to hold onto him before I ducked my head down and closed my eyes, the wind pushing me back. What was going on now?

"Ven! What's…what's going on?" I tried shouting, but my voice was overruled by a burst of fire that nearly burned my shoulder. "Whoa!"

I glanced behind us and sucked in a breath at the sight of an enraged Charoite dragon, its' smaller body nearly engulfed by its' massive wings. It opened its' mouth and let out another bout of fire. I winced at the heat that brushed close to the tips of my hair, holding on for dear life as Ven began to do a zigzag movement to dodge the flames.

The spray of sea water hit my legs before Ven changed his tactic and snapped open his wings, the wind grabbing us and pulling us upward and away from danger. I laughed as I caught sight of the dragon, now below us, crashing into the waves and roaring pitifully as it attempted to swim. It was finally able to stretch its' wings out of the heavy water and fly away, but it didn't make its' way after us a second time.

Ven climbed higher, now within range of other dragons, until a shriek erupted from the cliffside. All dragons froze and everything came to a halt as necks turned. I frowned, doing the same. It was Riku, having successfully pinned Vanitas down and digging his claws into his chest with a look of fury. Vanitas didn't make a move to escape, his wings trapped beneath him uncomfortably. A second of silence passed before Riku shifted closer, his mouth opening slightly to blow a spout of fire at his fallen enemy.

The dragon under him immediately shifted into his tiny human form, Riku's claws still keeping him down.

"Retreat…for now." The male ordered loudly. "We'll surrender."

A few feeble dragon calls in annoyance to the command, but it was obeyed, nonetheless. Dragons flew off, away from the fight, many coming out of the volcano's opening as well. Riku waited until the horde had left while everyone else transformed back to humans, standing around with wounds and some even falling down to be treated by someone else.

Riku finally let himself convert to his own human form, still keeping Vanitas pinned. I leaned closer to Ven's head.

"Let's head back down there."

Ven did so, settling away from Riku and Vanitas. I slid off his back and rushed to Riku, who still hadn't moved. I could now see his face was twisted in pure rage, choking the male beneath him that dared to still smirk up at him.

"Riku-"

"Stay back. He isn't to be trusted near you or anyone else, Sora." Riku snapped at me, eyes still focused on Vanitas. "He knew what he was doing, coming here with his little friends and trying to attack us. He also knew the end result when he ultimately failed. Besides…he nearly killed you."

I blinked as he narrowed his eyes at his enemy, his body tense. He looked ready to snap the very neck he held in his hands, but was restraining himself in front of me. Ignoring his previous instruction to stay away, I stepped up beside him, laying a hand on his shoulder. He visibly flinched at the contact.

"Riku…let him go."

His head jerked towards me, teeth bared. "_Why Sora? WHY?! He almost __**killed**__ you!_"

Taken aback by the harsh tone and maniacal expression, I pulled my hand away. Riku looked at me for a few tense moments before shutting his eyes and taking a few deep breaths, looking back at Vanitas.

"Ven. Take Sora back inside and make sure your brother and the others are alright. Find Aqua and have her and the other healers start on any wounded."

"Wait, I d-"

"Sora. Come on." Ven whispered, touching my shoulder.

Riku and Vanitas were still having a silent battle, both standing strong against the other. I bit my lip.

"Riku…don't kill him." I muttered.

He didn't reply and just barked for Ven to listen to his command, who quickly did, tugging me back into the Firestone Caves, leaving a massive group of people, wounded and not, watching on as Riku began to snarl under his breath at Vanitas.

I hoped he would make the right choice.

* * *

**Dang...let's hope this doesn't end in total bloodshed and red painted all over Riku's hands. **

**However, Vanitas kinda would deserve it, don't you agree? Even if he is a handsome bastard...ugh.**


	19. Chapter 19

**So I'm wide awake at the ungodly hours of the morning and I decided, while I wait for my mask to finish up, why not write another chapter of one of my fanfics: this one was the winner. :P**

**Do you guys recall what I said an amaiwa is?**

**I don't own anything except my own imagination.**

* * *

I sat in silence as Ven left to go and check on whatever else Riku had ordered him to do, leaving me along…with just my rampant thoughts. I had no idea what was going to happen to Vanitas or the other dragons, nor was I informed on what to do until Riku returned. _If_ he returned.

Sighing, I got up and began pacing the room, my mind wide awake and itching to sneak back out and see what my friend had decided on. I needed to know what he had chosen on doing and, perhaps if it were the incorrect choice, I could intervene and somehow persuade him to not go through with anything horrid or rash. He could be cruel when given a good reason.

"Sora."

I nearly tripped over my own feet at the voice and turned to face Terra, his face shadowed in anger and covered in soot and blood. My face paled at the sight, but I swallowed my growing fear.

"Did he…?"

He paused and then shook his head. "No. Despite wanting his head to be ripped from his shoulders, he honored your opinion of him first and foremost. It was certainly a hard decision to make, but he did it. However, he has the cliffside guarded from now on and he wishes for you to be with someone at all times." The older male put a hand up to stop the oncoming complaints of the young brunet. "You aren't the only one to be having an escort around here, either. You aren't the only Unmarked here that don't have transformation abilities and they're just as vulnerable."

That caught my attention. "There are more like me that aren't half-dragon?"

"Yes. Roxas, Ven's brother, is one of them."

I gave a huff at that little tidbit. "Yeah, because he just loves being around me."

Terra snorted and his features brightened. "Are you hungry? I can bring you something, seeing as Riku will be a while."

I didn't feel that hungry, but that was mainly because my entire stomach had caved in on itself. Maybe some food would do me good. I nodded and went to sit back down at the table, my leg bouncing underneath me. Terra walked out and then I was alone again.

I wondered when Riku would be back.

* * *

I was woken much later (I wish I could tell time down here somehow) by Riku, who was pulling a warm fur blanket over me. He froze when his eyes met mine.

"I didn't mean to wake you. You were shivering." he whispered.

"Not at all…thank you." I yawned, snuggling back down. "Did you finish what you needed to do?"

"…yes. I'm going to eat something. Get some sleep, Sora."

My eyes were already closed and my mind shut down as he said those words. Today had taken a huge toil on me and I needed to recharge. But, as I was just about to fade into my dreams, I felt something soft touch my forehead.

"Good night, Sora…"

* * *

I didn't even attempt to fully awaken until much later, stretching and yawning loudly before slowly sitting up, rubbing the sleep from my eyes.

"Morning Riku…or wha'ever time it is…" No response. "Riku?"

My eyes adjusted to an unexpected sight: it was dark in here, with only a few strange lanterns lit around the room. I frowned as I moved to get up from the bed and spotted a shadow sitting at the table, their head down.

"Riku…?"

A loud snore was my response, which I had to clap a hand over my mouth to stop from laughing. Going over to the table, I snickered at the disheveled sight of my friend, his head pillowed by his arms and snoring lightly away. An empty platter was moved to the other side of the table, sitting beside another full platter of food.

I smiled as I took an amaiwa and bit into it, then sat opposite of Riku as I began to inhale my plate of food.

"Riku…?" I recognized Aqua's voice as she stepped in. "Oh, Sora. Nice to see you awake. Is he…?"

"Sleeping."

"Of course he is." She smiled and walked in. "Let me just go ahead and give you a few healing potions. Make sure he drinks at least two of them when he wakes up, alright?"

I nodded and stared down at the five little corked jars, each containing clear liquid and a few floating stars that glowed dimly.

"Hold on, let me look at you, too." She held my chin up and examined my face carefully. "Hm…perhaps you should take one as well, just as a precaution."

I blinked. "One of these potion things?"

She nodded as she turned to leave. "Make sure to drink the entire bottle, alright?"

I set the jars down on the table and then took one, uncorking it as quietly as I could without waking my companion. I brought it to my nose and sniffed curiously.

"Mmmm…smells like vanilla and chocolate…"

I took a tentative sip before tipping the entire thing back and swallowing it in three large gulps. That had been the tastiest thing (besides those amaiwa fruits) I had ever had in my life. Part of me was tempted to have another, but I glanced at Riku and restrained myself; Riku needed it more than my greedy tastebuds did.

A sudden yawn took over me, followed by another and another. My eyelids felt so heavy and I lay my head down on the table between the glass jars and my empty plate, my lids sliding shut. I had been wide awake just a moment ago, though…

I was asleep in a matter of seconds.

* * *

**Good night, Sora and Riku...**

**Gosh, aren't they simply adorable? Too cute for their own good.**

**News flash: DON'T fall asleep at the table, because your body will hate you later on when you wake up.**


	20. Chapter 20

**Ah, here we are. This one will certainly catch your attention, though I know some of you have already figured it out and/or guessed it correctly. **

**Thank you again for the comments. BloopieIsHere, as for your question, their clothes just merge with them and mixes the color with the transformation. Like if Riku wore a red yukata and transformed, his scales would have a red or pink-ish tint to them. Just a little something I _did_, in fact, think about when writing this. You're welcome.**

**Read on, my readers!**

* * *

I woke much later (I think) to my hair in my food and Riku drooling on his arm. Bleary-eyed, I looked around the dark room in confusion. How had I fallen asleep on the table with Riku doing the same across from me? My elbow knocked against glass and caught my attention. My eyes stared blankly at the two full - and one empty - bottles for a moment before my memories snapped back into place.

"Aqua?"

"She left a while ago. About time you woke up. I was getting bored watching you guys sleep."

I turned to see Roxas, his expression sour and leaning against a wall. I opened my mouth and closed it again, getting up from the table.

"How long have we been out?"

He shrugged. "Hell if I know. Riku's been out for a while now and Aqua was the one to tell me to stay here until one of you morons woke up."

"But…I wasn't tired. I was eating and then…I think I was talking to Aqua and….I couldn't have been _that_ tired."

He huffed out a laugh. "Good job there, genius. Aqua knocked you out on purpose. Her potions have that annoying side effect, so I tend to stay away from it when I can."

I glanced down at the bottles and picked up the empty one, intrigued. Such a small bottle that had me unconscious in a short amount of time.

"What about Riku?" I asked, looking to my drooling friend. "He hasn't touched any potions yet."

"Half-dragons tend to sleep for days on end to allow their bodies to heal on their own." He huffed, pushing himself off the wall. "Lucky bastard…"

He proceeded to then leave the room without another word, anger etched on his face. I wondered if that was a permanent feature or if it was only because of me. Perhaps a bit of both.

But now I didn't know what to do. Riku was still fast asleep and I wasn't really allowed outside on my own for now. What was there to do in a place like this?

"…I suppose it wouldn't hurt to look around his room."

I moved about, opening and closing drawers and chests of all shapes and sizes, made from different materials. It wasn't until I opened an oval-shaped chest made of ivory that I stumbled across something interesting.

"What the…?"

Reaching in, I moved aside beautiful silk garments, gem-encrusted jewelry and a large wooden box, finding large amounts of folded papers. Curious, I took one and opened it, glad for the lantern light.

_Riku,_

_You've been absent recently from my chambers. I was only curious as to why you still refuse to let us be together, as is our right. We are as close to connected as can be, so why have you still denied us the truth?_

_I'll be waiting at the crater for you. It would seem you need a bit of a reminder that you're mine._

_Vani_

My stomach twisted as I read the signature, throwing it back into the chest as if it had burned me. Vani? As in Vanitas? _That_ Vanitas?!

I leaned into the chest and dug deeper, finding more and more folded papers that I could easily guess were from the same person. With dread, I took out another one and opened it.

_Riku,_

_I believe I have a solution for our lack of connection and I've been searching around in the Sabish__ī Forest and I came across someone who can help us. She said that we just need to visit her on a full moon and the rest will be simple. _

_All she asked for is a small fee. Just think of it, Riku; we can finally belong to one another without anyone telling us otherwise. _

_Meet me at our usual place. I'll be waiting._

_Vani_

I blanched and tossed that one in as well before slamming it shut and stumbling away from it, staring at it in horror. Was what I found real? Was this something Riku was hiding from me?

I glanced back at Riku to see he was still asleep, his face relaxed and as innocent as can be. Vanitas suddenly popped into my mind as I imagined him there, standing over my sleeping friend with a predatory smirk and narrowed yellow eyes looking right at me, his hands coming to rest on Riku's shoulders.

I felt sick.

"Riku….you and Vanitas?" The words left my mouth, but there was no response. "Why…? Why would you be lovers with someone like that?"

I didn't know what else to do now. I had lost my curiosity and I couldn't run away to be alone when Vanitas could be out there. So, without another word, I moved to the bed and curled up into a ball, shaking. The only words pressing into my brain was: _Vanitas and Riku_.

* * *

I awoke much later, covered and warm, still curled up. I sat up, rubbing my eyes as I looked around the room. Riku and the platters were gone from the table, but the potions hadn't moved. I yawned and moved to get up before I woke up and my brain gave me a quick reminder of what I had found. My eyes moved to the other side of the room, where the chest still sat, looking untouched. I finally had to force myself to look away as my eyes began to burn, getting up and moving to the entrance, wondering if Riku was outside in the hall.

Once I peeked my head out, I was surprised to see him and a group of unfamiliar faces all talking to him at once, all smiling or laughing as they tried to be heard over one another. I stayed where I was and watched as Riku eagerly spoke to each one in turn, his expression bright and looking at ease.

Before my discovery, I would have joined him and smiled beside him. Now, though…now I could only picture Vanitas standing beside him, his hands always on Riku's arm or shoulder, leaning in close while looking right at me, taunting me. I swallowed the lump in my throat and turned away from the scene, going back into the room.

I was truly beginning to regret coming here.

* * *

**I listened to sad songs while writing this, but I've actually experienced this last year and it was very easy to write. Well, Sora's not completely in love with Riku yet...or at least doesn't realize it yet. **

**Until next time, my dears!**

**Feel free to ask questions or say comments~**


	21. Chapter 21

**Okay, bear with me in this chapter. There is a reason it's in here, I promise. **

**I hope you enjoy it. **

**I don't own anything except the volcano and...no, that's about it.**

* * *

When Riku managed to get away from the crowd outside, he came back into the room, chuckling to himself and practically glowing. It was as if he was just purposely rubbing everything into my face. Two-faced bastard. I rolled over bed and put my back to him, gritting my teeth as he came near.

"Sora…?" He whispered. "You awake?"

I bit my tongue and didn't answer.

"Heh. Figures. Sleepy head." He leaned over and I shut my eyes, feigning sleep. "Sweet dreams then."

I nearly flinched when his lips brushed my forehead before he moved away from me. Opening my eyes, I stayed there, tense. That had felt so familiar…hadn't he done that before? I shifted into a more comfortable position, trying to appear like I was still fast asleep.

Riku continued to move about the room, humming a strange song that soothed my frayed nerves. It was went on for a few more minutes before Riku greeted someone as they came in.

"Is everything going well?" Riku added.

"Yes. Just a few places that need patching up. But there is one large area that seems to have been hollow and is wide open."

"Hollow? What's inside?"

"A lava pool."

"Hm…interesting. I'll look into soon. Thank you, Tidus."

I waited a few more minutes before sitting up in bed, looking over to see he was now bent over an odd statue, its' blue spirals all ending with different-colored gems embedded into it. An abstract piece of work, but certainly appealing to the eye.

"…what's that?"

His head shot up. "Sora! You're awake!"

With a smile, he got to his feet, coming over to me. I immediately had the instinctive feeling to move away from his reach, but restrained myself. His smile faded as he got closer.

"Sora?"

"Um, sorry. I'm just feeling a bit drowsy. I'll be fine in a couple hours." I lied.

He paused and nodded. "Alright. Here, come over and let me show you my little trophy. It took me a good while to make it."

He held out a hand, which I hesitated before taking. My imagination took over again for just a second, showing Vanitas sitting in seiza beside the trophy, smirking at me. Swallowing my fear, I kicked the image from my head and sat down in front of the trophy, Riku sitting beside me.

"So…a trophy?" A failed attempt at conversation, but it was all I could think of. "What sort of trophy?"

"Well, sort of. I stole the materials from my home and I used them to make…well, this. I consider it a trophy, though. My trophy of freedom."

"Oh…"

"Knock knock. Sorry to barge in again, but we kinda need you, Riku. The hollow place with the lava pool is beginning to overflow."

Riku sighed and got up. "Alright, show me the way. The quicker I see it, the quicker we can come up with a solution." I stood as well. "Sora, this is Tidus. Tidus, you know who this is."

He looked young, but strong, with his shoulders back and chin raised. He grinned at me and nodded, then waved to the door while moving towards, beckoning Riku to follow after him. I stayed where I was and watched as Tidus walked out. Riku paused at the doorway.

"You're welcome to come with us."

I gave a strained smile. "I don't want to be in the way."

An odd look passed over his face, stepping back into the room. "Sora, are you sure everything's okay? You seem…off."

"I'm fine." I insisted, then made a quick decision. "I guess I'll join you."

He said nothing for a few tense moments. "Alright. Come on."

He walked out and I took a deep breath before following after him, coming out into the hallway. Tidus, with his arms crossed, groaned.

"Finally! Come on, Ri'. Let's get this over with so I can get some food in my stomach."

The two began a conversation of jabs and jokes, Tidus having a carefree and strong personality. Riku kept giving me weird glances every so often, as if worried I was going to run off. It wasn't until we turned around a bend that we came to a circle of people surroundings an enormous gap in the wall.

"Alright, move aside everyone. Riku's coming through."

Everyone did so, greeting the two of them while I held back and stared inside the hole. It held a bubbling mass of blackness, its' texture a strange mixture of liquid and solid as it began to fill the gap, trying spill onto the other side.

"Well, I can't say I'm glad to see the lava of this volcano hasn't changed. Still disturbing as ever." He turned to Aqua. "Would you happen to have any more stars, Aqua?"

"As a matter of fact, I do." She reached into a small pouch that rested against her hip and pulled out a little jar of colorful miniature stars, handing it over to Riku. "Throw in about five, just to be on the safe side."

He opened it and picked out the five, then stepped up to the hole and threw them in. I stood on tiptoe and gasped as the strange lava immediately jumped backward, a dim glow coming from the stars. It then became a blob of darkness and vanished from view, back into the volcano. Riku stepped through the hole and looked around before nodding and shutting the jar.

"I'll make sure nothing else is wrong here and then we can see if we can make something out of this. Aqua." She moved forward and retrieved her jar. "Thank you. You're always prepared."

He made a few orders, waving a couple people to join him and begin talking, their words echoing out of the hole. I stayed where I was, wondering what I should do now. Do I wait for him to finish? Do I join him? Was I just getting in the way by staying here?

"Sora? Come join us, but be careful." Riku shouted.

That answered that question. I didn't move for a moment, wondering if he would dislike me for refusing the command, then thought better of it and climbed in with the rest, looking around.

The hollowed out room was tall, curving upward into an oval, the lava nowhere to be seen. What an odd piece of nature.

"We can't dig here. The sensation might trigger an eruption, regardless of how careful we may be."

I let them converse and figure out a strategy as I slowly moved about the room, fascinated at nature and the possibilities of it. To think that the elements had made this without any help. I smiled as I brushed my hand against the walls, finding it to be smooth and warm to the touch.

"_**Sora!**_"

* * *

**Uh oh. What'd Sora do now? **

**Guess you'll find out in the next chapter!**


	22. Chapter 22

**I'm so sorry. I've been struggling with some personal things and I've been so busy, too. **

**Enjoy your chapter~**

**I don't own Kingdom Hearts. Just the lava...sort of.**

* * *

I didn't have time to react and was suddenly yanked backwards by my arm, pulling me off balance and forcing me to tumble onto my back into the midst of the group, all of them looking shocked or worried. Riku immediately bent down to me and helped me to sit up.

"Thank you, Tidus. A moment later and he would have been burned." He said as he looked me over. "Are you hurt? It didn't touch you, did it?"

Confused, I just looked blankly back at him.

"Sora?"

"Should we get Aqua again?"

"No, Xion. I think he's just stunned. He probably wasn't aware of the danger he was just in." A dark-haired male squatted down to my level. "You alright there, Sora?"

"What…what happened?"

"See? Didn't know."

Riku helped me to my feet. "That lava nearly grabbed you. It has a mind of its' own in this place. If it had touched you, you would have been severely injured."

"Some people have actually died from it." The man piped in.

Riku threw a glare his way. "Not helping."

"Just saying."

I looked to the area I had been standing in moments ago and stared at the black lava that was now crawling _up_ the wall I had been touching, the blob inching and moving about the spot I had stood, as if trying to smell me out. A shiver ran down my spine at the sight.

"Come on, let's get you out of here. You're not safe here." He turned to the male that had spoken to me a minute ago. "Zack, go ahead and head outside. He probably needs some fresh air."

Zack grinned. "Roger that one, boss. Come on, Sora."

As Zack moved past Riku, aqua eyes became cold, stopping the male in his tracks. "You are to watch him at all times, Zack. Your life will depend on it."

"I know that for a fact." He winked, completely at ease. "Relax, lover boy. I got him within my sights."

He strolled out of the hole and called out for me to follow. I looked back at Riku, questioning the strange red tint that colored his cheeks, then decided it was best to just shrug it off and went after Zack as fast as I could.

I caught up to him pretty quickly, seeing as he was strolling along down the hall without a care in the world. He greeted me nonchalantly as I came up beside him. He was quick in starting a conversation.

"So...you and Riku, huh? Never thought that would happen again. But hey, to each their own, right?"

"…huh?"

"You know, some say it's just based on your looks. But I say that's just half the battle for him, in all honesty. I think it's your personality. He isn't one to get suckered into appearance and you just happen to look similar. Am I right?"

Okay, this was becoming more of a guessing game for me here. What was he going on about? Was he talking about the similarities between Vanitas and myself?

"No offense to Vanitas, actually, but you're much more appealing to the eye. In my defense, that guy had such a rotten attitude that it made too ugly to look at." He chuckled. "Some would disagree, of course."

"What does that have to do with Riku and me?" I asked, already hating this conversation.

He gave me a look of disbelief. "You're pulling my leg, right?"

My obvious silence was his answer. He stopped walking and stared at me in shock. I did the same and frowned.

"What?"

"You mean to tell you and Riku…" He linked his index fingers together, then separated them and stared intensely at me as if that had made any sense at all. His mouth dropped open. "You're serious! Damn, Riku really has to grow some dragon eggs, doesn't he?"

Without further explanation, he continued walking. I shook my head, completely puzzled by what had just occurred, then followed after him. The glances I kept getting from him were annoying, to say the least.

We made it to the open cliffside, the salty breeze hitting my face and the sun warming my skin as I stepped out of the shade. This sort of warmth was so different from the volcano's humid atmosphere, much more comfortable. Zack stayed within the shade, leaning against the doorway and watching me as I sat down in the sun and absorbed the mix of cool wind and warm rays, closing my eyes with a sigh.

"Hey." He spoke after a few minutes had passed, having me look back at him. "What's your actual relationship with Riku?"

"That's a weird question." I countered.

He smirked. "Still doesn't answer mine, Sora."

I shrugged. "We're friends."

"How close of friends would you say?" he pressed.

"How should I know? He's the first real friend I've had in my life."

Zack was silent for a good while after that response. "Oh."

"Any reason why you're so curious about the relationship we have?"

"Figured you two were closer than just friends."

That statement had me flinch, reminding me of my earlier discovery that had my stomach re-knot itself. I turned my head away, hiding the conflicting emotions that had managed to reveal themselves.

Zack finally moved to come and sit down beside me, relaxed as he leaned back on his hands and raised his face to the sky. I was beginning to see that he was the talkative type as he opened his mouth and asked me another question.

"So what's your entire backstory, Sora?"

"Isn't that a personal question?"

He opened one eye to peek at me, a smile on his face. "Yeah, I'm aware."

"…I lived on the mainland. I never got the tattoo and my family couldn't stand having someone like me ruining their reputation, so they kicked me out and I was forced to leave. I stumbled across a little abandoned island and I called it my own. Riku crashed into it during a storm and we met. The rest is…self-explanatory."

He nodded. "That sucks."

"What about you?" I inquired.

He threw back at laugh. "I came from a kingdom far off. I had a wife and many friends who were like me, but we all cared for one another. Riku came the day we were found out and attacked by the kingdom's soldiers. He was able to save all our lives, but we had no choice but to scatter. That was about four years ago." He smiled sadly at the sky. "Four years since I've seen my beloved wife…"

"Have you tried-"

"To find her? Of course. But she's too intelligent for me. No doubt, she's found some secret hiding place. She's far too strong and beautiful to be put out by the elements."

"…what's her name?"

"Aerith."

"Hm…she sounds like a good person."

He grinned. "Yeah. Good head on that woman, let me tell you. Could talk you into walking on the ceiling if she put her mind to it."

I laughed and he joined in, his expression holding a loving pain that I couldn't even begin to imagine. It was amazing what love did to a person.

"So why aren't you and Riku together?"

I could have choked on my spit at the sudden switch in topic. Instead, I made a strangling noise in the back of my throat that caught his attention. He gave me a weird look.

"Wh-what are you talking about? Riku and I don't see each other romantically. In any way."

Zack didn't look convinced. "Oh yeah? This is the Riku that stayed on that island with you when he could have just as easily left you alone there? And you two always try to be within walking distance of the other."

I blushed. "It…it's not like that. We're just friends."

"Uh-huh."

Silence for a moment. "So why haven't you told him how you feel?"

I took a deep breath and gave him a glare, ready to unleash a few choice words at him, but the look I met shut me up. He looked so serious, waiting for me to reply. We held the tension and stare for a moments, with me holding my breath. After a moment, I exhaled loudly, visibly deflating as my shoulders sagged and my head hung downward.

"…am I really that obvious?"

* * *

**Hmmm...so we're finally getting some truth in this situation. **

**And yes, I put Zack with Aerith. They belong together, in my opinion.**

**And I hope you enjoyed my little lava introduction. Disturbing sucker, ain't it?**

**Until the next chapter!**


	23. Chapter 23

**Shorty, but still a chapter. I might get another one out today, too. Maybeee~**

**I don't own anything.**

* * *

Zack chuckled. "Like a dragon in the sky."

"_That_ obvious?!"

"Pfft! Well, it's not like you're one to be subtle about things. Even if you try to hide things, you're most likely not one to succeed."

I swallowed the lump in my throat. "Yeah…"

"We should head back inside. Riku'll have my head if I make it appear like I lost you." He stood and shook his head, hands on his hips. "That guy will go to his grave before he admits showing any weakness, especially for someone like you. His heart has been through enough, though, so I can understand to an extent."

I got to my feet and we made our way back inside, Zack greeting a few people we passed along the way. When we got to Riku's room, we stopped and Zack looked around before leaning in a bit.

"I think you should be a bit more honest with the guy, Sora. He needs someone who cares. Someone like you."

I tried to ignore the unpleasant turmoil in my stomach. "…will you tell anyone…?"

He grinned and patted my shoulder. "No, this is your decision. Go at your pace. But I still strongly recommend what I said before. Riku needs you more than he lets on."

I nodded and we parted ways, him going off somewhere down the hall while I went inside the room, surprised to see that everything that had been ruined from the ambush was now revived and looked as clean and pristine as before. Riku was already here, laying down on the bed with a hand to his head. He looked exhausted.

"Riku…?"

He raised his head. "Sora!" Practically jumping to his feet, he made his way over to me. "I was beginning to worry and about to go check on you myself. Where's that irritating Fair?"

It took a second. "You mean Zack? He escorted me to the doorway before he left."

Riku sighed. "Figures. He always did like to push my limits. Anyways, are you okay?"

"Yeah. Just…kinda tired." A lame excuse, but one I stuck with. "Is it okay if I get some sleep? Even if it _is_ only around noon?"

"Of course. Come on."

My heart stuttered when he took my hand without any second thoughts and made his way over to the bed, my feet following after him as if I were in a trance. This felt so nice and comforting, holding his hand. I had to make sure I didn't latch onto his hand when he moved to let me crawl into the bed, surprised when he began to tuck me in.

"Uh, you don't have to. I can do this by myself, you know."

He seemed to almost snap back into reality and his eyes went wide. "Oh! Yeah, yeah! Of course, sorry. I'm going to go read a book or something."

I watched as he went over to a chest and opened it, rummaging around. My eyes fell upon the same chest I had looked through, followed by Zack's words. _His heart has been through enough._ Was he speaking of Vanitas? Did I want to know about the details of the relationship they had? The painful pressure on my heart was a good enough response for me. I turned my back to Riku and the chest, curling up into a ball.

Closing my eyes, I did my best to clear my mind, but I couldn't let go of the image of Riku and Vanitas laying in this very bed together, wrapped around one another. My eyes burned, but I held back the bitter tears and forced my body to relax, falling into a fitful sleep.

* * *

"Sora! Wake up!"

I groaned, opening my eyes slowly. Riku stood over me with a worried expression, his hair framing his face. I yawned.

"Why'd ya wake me up…?"

"You were crying in your sleep. You kept shouting my name." he whispered.

I woke up a bit. "What?"

His fingers reached out and ran along my cheek, making me aware of the wet trails on them. I touched my face and was shocked to find he was right. He sat down on the edge of the bed and looked over me, frowning.

"Sora, what's going on with you? You haven't been acting normal. Not like you usually are. This is so…out of character for you. What aren't you telling me?"

This was it. I could bring up the thing that had been haunting me and move past it. But…did I want to hear the truth? Did I want to know the intimate things he had done with someone else? I had just begun to accept my feelings towards Riku and this seemed too early for me to go and act like I owned him or something.

Wiping away my tearstains, I gave him the best smile I could muster up. "I'm fine, Riku. Just having trouble sleeping."

He didn't immediately appear to accept the vague answer, but finally seemed to think it was true and sighed, leaning in to give me an unexpected hug. My body tensed up in surprise as he leaned his forehead onto my shoulder.

"Just…please tell me if something is bothering you. I promise I'll do my best to make you as comfortable and safe as I possibly can."

"…I promise. " I hated the way the words tasted on my tongue.

He pulled away and gave a kind smile. "Sorry for waking you. You can go back to sleep if you want."

I shook my head. I knew I wouldn't be able to sleep now. Getting out of bed, I ruffled my hair and prepared myself for the day. A day I didn't want to face, if I were being honest with myself.

"Hungry? I got some food, but I didn't finish it."

I felt like I would throw up anything I tried to put in my stomach.

"Yeah. Thanks, Riku!"

Right then and there, I hated myself for lying to my best friend's face. And he would never know that I was doing so.

We sat down at the table together and Riku began talking to me, but i could barely pay attention. The guilt in my heart continued to grow from there.

* * *

**Let's see how long these two stay on this bad path...**


	24. Chapter 24

**Time for the sad violin music to kick in. Y'all ready for this?**

**I own nothing except tears for Sora.**

* * *

The days went by and things went onward without any more…interruptions. Riku went about his duties and I learned to keep my mask from falling. But my wounds didn't heal over time, as I had previously hoped they would. Instead, they began to fester inside me, to the point where I was unable to even fall asleep without a nightmare occurring. Sometimes I would wake up on my own, tears streaming down my face. Other times, Riku rushed to my side and woke me, always there to lend a shoulder and comforting words. Actions I know I didn't deserve.

I became friends with others within the caves, learning its halls as I did so. Ven, Terra and Aqua were a tight-knitted trio and very fun to be around, if not just a good distraction. Demyx and Xigbar from a while back were odd friends, but they enjoyed their silly antics and stupid jokes they made together. Zack was a listening ear and made it easy to forget my troubles with his easy-going personality. A nice girl by the name of Xion was shy and a very close friend to Roxas, who refused to warm up to me. For the most part, I enjoyed this place I considered home.

But things didn't get better between Riku and I. An invisible, unspoken barrier began to build and I knew he had nothing to do with it. He gave me some distance, letting me gain more friends and allowing me the space he thought I needed, but it only hurt the more he did so. The only time I really saw him anymore was when I had my nightmares of Vanitas.

There came a day where, quite suddenly, Riku came into the room while I was having lunch, his hands holding a pile of scrolls and books stacked on top of each other. I gave him a questioning look, my mouth full.

"Sora! Oh, I, uh…didn't think you'd be in here."

I chewed and swallowed. "I got hungry."

"Well, let me go ahead and put these down somewhere and I'll be on my w-"

"Is it possible for me to get my own room?"

The request stopped his ongoing sentence. His head turned to stare at me.

"You…don't like being in here?"

"I….this isn't exactly my room. I kinda just barged in, so I figured I'd ask about getting my own."

His eyes roamed around the room, awkward now. "Oh…I suppose I can arrange something."

There was silence for a moment before he set down his load and quickly excused himself, leaving me to my own self-hatred.

* * *

That same day, as I was sitting in Zack's room and talking to him about my earlier conversation with Riku, said person came strolling in, his appearance telling me he had just returned from a flight.

"Riku! Nice to see your handsome muzzle again!" Zack exclaimed, going over to throw his arm over Riku's shoulders. "Here for this handsome brunet?"

"First off, it's only been a few hours since we last saw each other. Second, yes." He looked at me. "Is it okay if we talk in private for a bit, Sora?"

I hated the turmoil that twisted inside me. I wanted to be beside him again, but I couldn't do that without seeing Vanitas face in some way. I ignored it and nodded, getting up from my chair. Zack let us go, but not before giving me a little whisper of advice in my ear during a hearty noogie.

"You need to open up, Sora. If not, it's going to kill you on the inside."

With those words of advice said, he shoved me towards the silver-haired male and waved us off from his doorway. Dread filled me as he led me outside to the cliff, where a few people were, as well as some dragons up above. Some called out to us in greeting, but most let us be. I suppose everyone within Firestone Caves could feel the tension between Riku and me nowadays. It would explain why most people would keep their distance whenever we were seen together.

"I found you a room. I apologize in advance for having taken so long, but I wanted to make sure it was properly furnished for you."

The kind gesture equally warmed and stung my heart. "You didn't need t-"

"I know." He gave me an unreadable look. "I wanted to make sure you felt at home."

I opened my mouth, then closed it. There were no words that came to mind for all he had done for me, nor could I ever repay for it. I settled for a smile.

"Thank you."

He sighed and spoke after a moment, turning his back to me. "Sora…what happened?"

"Huh?"

He spun around to face me. "You've been acting differently. I know there's something you're not telling me and it's created this…this rift! And it's frustrating for me because I don't know why it's there in the first place!"

"Riku, lower your voice." I hissed, noticing we were catching attention. "This isn't the place for this sort of conversation."

The glare I received was terrifying. I held my ground, despite the fact that I hated the fact that we were even fighting in the first place. And all because of me.

"Fine. If you don't want to just be honest with me, then I'm not going to bother trying this anymore."

I stepped forward to touch his shoulder, but fell backward onto my back as he suddenly transformed and took off, leaving me on my back as he vanished into the sky. I could feel that familiar burning in my eyes and throat as I slowly got to my feet, unable to stop looking up at the sky…as if Riku would come back to me.

"I've ruined everything…haven't I?"

I didn't need someone to tell me the answer.

Glumly, I let my feet carry me back inside the volcano and dragged myself to Riku's door, stopping in front of the doorway. I didn't know what to do now. This wasn't my room anymore and I felt I didn't belong in his room anymore, but I had no clue where my own room was in this place.

"Sora! Hey, are you doing anything right now?" Zack's energetic voice rang out, his hand tapping my shoulder. "How did that convers…" He trailed off when I turned to him, tears falling down my face. "That bad, huh?"

I took a shaky breath. "H-he…I…i-it was my fault and…and…"

Zack slid his arm around my shoulders and led me away from Riku's room. "Come on, let's go to my room. You need something warm to drink and a nice nap. Then we'll talk."

I could only nod mutely and allow myself to be taken away, keeping my head down to avoid eye contact with anyone we came across in the halls. Once we got into his room, he sat me down and left me alone to get the drinks…and I broke down.

Zack found me like that, sobbing my heart out and instantly came to my side, pressing a steaming cup into my shaking hands. I stared down into it, tears dropping into the clear liquid.

"Drink. It'll help calm your nerves."

My trembling hands finally allowed me to put the drink to my lips and take a sip, enjoying the warmth that seemed to settle into my very bones. The quivering in my body stopped shortly afterwards, though the tears still continued. Zack gave me time to collect myself before sitting down and holding out a light blue treat. I sniffed and put down my drink to take it.

"What is it…?"

"Sea salt ice cream. I asked Aqua to mix some relaxing potions in the drink and this for you."

I smiled sadly. "Thank you, Zack."

"So…care to explain?"

I took a bite of the ice cream and closed my eyes as a wave of peace wrapped around me, silently thanking Aqua for her wonderful skill. I took a deep breath and opened my eyes.

"I know. I've known for a long time."

"About your lack of social skills? No, I think everyone knows about that, Sora."

I looked him in the eye, completely serious. "I know about Vanitas and Riku."

Zack's face snapped to attention, all traces of amusement vanishing from his face. "How'd you find out about that? Did Riku tell you?"

I shook my head and took another bite of the ice cream. "I found a chest."

"Chest?"

"…he kept all of Vanitas' things. Every letter, all these gifts…everything."

"Does Riku know that you know? He intended to keep that bit of info a secret to avoid things like this. Though, I guess he didn't exactly make it easy for himself."

"I…Zack, I don't have the courage to bring it up. If I do, it's like I'm rubbing salt in his wounds."

"So keeping your feelings locked up is helping things?"

I bit my lip. "…not exactly."

"That's my point. You're not helping anyone by doing what you've been doing this whole time. You need to talk to him or you'll end up completely jeopardizing the relationship you have with Riku."

"I know…I know that. But…but I don't want to hear about those sorts of things."

"You mean about Riku and Vanitas?" I flinched. "Oh. So this is just to save your own feelings and completely ignoring Riku's, huh? That's rather selfish of you, you know." He nodded to my hand. "Your ice cream is melting."

I wordlessly finished the melting treat, annoyed by the peace it gave me. I didn't want to feel peaceful right now. Not when my world was being turned upside down.

Zack sighed, getting up from his seat. "Look, I'll be blunt with you like I have every other time. Because I like you like a little brother and because you're my friend. If you don't talk to him about this and tell him how badly it's been affecting you, you're not going to have him in your life anymore.

"Vanitas is still a constant thing in Riku's life, but that doesn't mean anything to Riku anymore. He learned his lesson and he moved on. Now, whether you'll open up and see if he moves on to you…that's your choice. And whether or not you decide to let Vanitas continue to affect you like this is also up to you. But either way, Sora, you need to grow some dragon balls and get your ass in gear."

I said nothing and simply nodded. He looked at me for a moment before pushing my drink towards me.

"Drink it. Aqua said I had to make sure you did."

That was the last thing I wanted to do, but I had no energy to fight back over something so miniscule. I took the drink with both hands, cradling it close for warmth and sipping at it slowly. Zack left the room again, leaving me alone with my jumbled thoughts.

Of course, it wasn't long before my eyelids got heavy. I blinked a few times, then groaned when I realized what was happening. Aqua certainly knew how to spike a drink.

* * *

**Damnit, Aqua!**

**So what did you guys think? Is Zack right about all this or not?**

**Let's see what Sora will decide to do in the next chapter!**


	25. Chapter 25

**Okay, this one is a bit longer. I've had this part half-written down for quite some time and I just had to write the first part of this chapter, basically, which made it easier on me. It pays to have certain scenes all ready to be used for future use. :)**

**Now, redsnivy, I applaud your wonderful comment. I read it and I immediately couldn't even breathe for a good minute. Thank you so much for bringing that to my attention, because I honestly didn't even notice that.**

**Thank you all for the comments as well. You guys have no idea how much I love reading them.**

**Now, on to the story!**

**I own nothing...for the most part.**

* * *

I awoke much later with a tired mind and a well-rested body, my eyes burning. I groaned and rolled over, unprepared for the sight of Zack and not Riku. I bolted upright.

"Where…where's Riku?"

Zack turned to me, a cup in hand. "You're not in his room."

I looked around and my heart sank as I saw his words to be correct. My memories, though fuzzy at the moment, were returning to me. I regretted having woken up and trying to recall anything about Riku or myself or…

"You're not going to start crying again, are you?" Zack inquired.

I sniffed and shook my head, running my hand through my hair. I couldn't break, not now. I got to my feet.

"I'm guessing you're not hungry, but you're going to eat anyways." He pointed to my usual chair. "Sit. You aren't going anywhere until you put something into your body."

I didn't argue. He shoved an amaiwa into my face until I took it, waiting patiently for me to take a bite. I couldn't find the energy to enjoy my favorite Firestone treat like I usually did, slowly chewing on each bite. This felt like more of a chore than a joy.

Once I had finished, Zack leaned back, arms folded over his chest. He had that serious look on his face that I knew meant business.

"I care about you like everyone else in these caves, Sora. You're family. But with the way things are going, you and Riku are going to end up falling apart from one another and that's obviously not doing well for either of you."

"…so what do I do?" I mumbled, lowering my head to stare at my hands.

"The apparent answer is talking it out. Being open and honest with him. Not just for the relationship you have, but for yourself." He leaned forward, his face softening. "You have real feelings towards him, don't you?"

I raised my head instantly. "Of course I do!"

He smiled and got up. "Then go and talk to him. Maybe not today, but do it soon."

I nodded, then reached my hand out to feebly catch his attention.

"Is there a way I can get to my room?"

"Uh…you sure you want to see Riku so soon?"

"Not his room. He got me my own somewhere."

Zack was shocked and stared at me before sighing and shaking his head, pressing his fingers to his temples.

"You two are pieces of work, Sora."

* * *

I was able to talk Zack into finding out where my room was located while I stayed cooped up within his room, curled up on his bed in a tight ball, knees to my chest. I had no clue how long I stayed in there, but after what I considered to be the equivalent of four to five days, Zack finally kicked me out to head for a well-needed bath.

"I'll bring you a new yukata. Don't you sulk back here until you're squeaky clean." he warned.

I couldn't find it in myself to argue in any way and made my way there, keeping my head low. Anyone I passed gave me looks, but I didn't get any warm greetings like I had before. The lack of welcome arms hurt my already wounded heart, adding to the pile.

When I got to the bath, I was bombarded by Xigbar, his usual eyepatch missing and his ponytail undone, sitting on a bench…completely naked.

"Well well! Look what the dead brought back to life." he laughed.

I felt my mouth move into a small smile as I began to undress. Xigbar's usual grin vanished.

"Don't tell me you lovebirds aren't actually talking."

"We aren't lovebirds." I snapped back, surprised by my burst of energy.

Xigbar immediately put his hands in the air as a sign of surrender. "Whoa there, I hit a nerve."

My shoulders sagged as I gave a meek apology, slipping into the water until I was submerged up to my chin. Xigbar's eyes watched me warily, no doubt wondering if I were going to suddenly explode at him again. It was quiet for a good while before he dared to open his mouth.

"So, just so I've got this clear…you and Riku aren't talking anymore?"

"Yeah…"

"Hm…you know, he's been snapping at everyone lately. Not to mention he's been leaving for hours at a time. That's something he hasn't done….in a long while."

"Geez, thanks. What a way to bring more guilt onto me."

"Just bringing you up to date here. Everyone knows you've basically hid yourself in Fair's room."

I sighed, putting my head under the water and allowing my limbs to relax of their own accord, which was a lot easier to do underwater, with nothing to hear except the rush of water, blocking everything out. Sadly, I couldn't stay under for long before my lungs started to burn and I emerged from the water once more. Xigbar hadn't moved, his hair framing his thin face as he scrutinized me.

"What?"

"Had to make sure of something, that's all." He got up, completely nonchalant as he dressed himself. "See ya around, Sora. Hopefully."

With that, he left me alone, wondering what had just happened.

* * *

Zack delivered, thankfully, a new yukata of grey, blue spirals designs on the sleeves. He waited as I got out of the bath, clean as can be, before throwing a towel at my face. I sputtered and yanked it off me, giving him a half-hearted glare.

"What was that for?!"

"Hurry up and get dressed."

I was confused as to the reason of his harsh tone, but didn't further question it, drying off before taking the yukata and dressing myself sloppily. Zack didn't bother correcting my outfit and walked out without a word. I frowned before following after him, deciding not to ask any questions at the moment.

We made our back to his room, getting even more strange looks than before. Zack seemed set on some mission and didn't pay them any mind, going into his room. I did so…and nearly tripped over my own feet at the sight of silver hair and aquamarine eyes looking right at me.

Zack moved to stand beside Riku and put a hand on his shoulder. Riku stared at me, his skin pale and his brow furrowed in a mix of emotion. I bit my tongue to stop the flow of tears from coming to my eyes, forcing myself to not run out of the room. I could, if I wanted to. I just didn't know if I would be chased down if that happened. I didn't want to find out.

"Just so we got this clear, he came of his own free will. He asked to come talk and I couldn't say no, so here he is." Zack gave me a dark look. "You know this was going to happen sooner or later, anyway."

I couldn't find the strength to say anything back, my skin prickling as Riku's eyes never looked away from me. Zack sighed, mumbling under his breath about this being his room before leaving, giving us privacy.

Alone. Just us.

Riku attempted conversation first. "You look like you haven't been sleeping much."

"That's because I haven't."

"Oh." Awkward pause. "I heard you haven't been eating much, either."

I shook my head.

"…you've been missed by everyone here. Some came to me asking if you had secretly left without saying goodbye."

"That explains the weird looks I was getting." I muttered.

"They have a right to be worried, Sora. As was I."

Those words stung. "I doubt that."

"Why do you say that? Because I didn't come crawling to you and apologizing for something I don't even know I did?" he snarled.

I looked at him and found I had nothing to say, no reply to his remark. He sat, waiting, but I couldn't find any words. He sighed.

"Get to the point, then I'll leave you alone. It's obvious you hate having me around."

"That's not true!" I blurted out.

He glared at me. "Your actions say otherwise."

I gulped and tried again. "I just…it's been hard being here an-"

"And that's a big, fat lie if I've ever heard one. You were completely fine until we were under attack. You changed after that."

My hands were shaking. I couldn't tell him the truth. If I did, he would know. I couldn't say the real reason. I tried to think of something to say, even if it were just some vague lie to fool him, but I didn't get a chance as Riku stood to his feet.

"I don't want another made-up excuse, damnit! Tell me the truth, Sora!"

"I…"

"Is it that you don't trust me now? You don't think I can protect you or something?"

I shook my head. "No, I-"

"Then are you homesick? I assumed you weren't, seeing as you melded well to this place."

"No, I enjoy being he-"

"Then is someone making you uncomfortable? Is it me?"

"I ju-"

"Sora, I consider you my friend. Maybe not on the scale I first thought, but I at least deserve enough damn respect. I don't want you to lie to my face and say everything is okay or some ridiculous explanation. I can't handle this drama anymore and I'm only giving you this one chance to tell me the truth."

I stared at him, fearful of what to make my next move. Would he even believe me if I actually spoke the truth? He raised an eyebrow after a few moments.

"Well? Am I just wasting my time h-"

"It's because you and Vanitas were lovers!" I shouted.

His expression of annoyance and anger melted away into shock, completely taken aback by the exclamation. I clapped a hand over my big mouth, appalled by my lack of restraint. Why had I said the truth to him? I stared at him in horror, awaiting his response.

He inhaled sharply and rubbed the bridge of his nose for a few tense minutes, closing his eyes as his brow wrinkled. It was absolutely silent as he absorbed the information, clearly accepting my outburst as the truth. He sighed.

"You looked through that chest." It was a statement. "How long have you known?"

"A…a long time now." I whispered.

He hummed in acknowledgement, but he had completely cut all emotion from his face. I tried to still my shaking body as I waited for him to continue. I didn't trust myself to say anything more.

"Yes, we were lovers."

I hadn't expected him to simply outright admit it without hiding anything, but part of me wishes he had; the honesty of it all was painful to hear aloud. My heart shrank in on itself as he stood up and walked towards me. I unconsciously mimicked the movement and stepped backwards, away from him.

"What do you want from me, Sora? What else do you want to know?" Another step towards me. One step away from him. "Would you like to know about the nights we would sneak off together and bask in each other in the moonlight? About all those times he would come to my room to wake me up and we would have sex until dawn? Of how we considered ourselves basically bound to one another?"

"…no." I choked out.

"Then what, Sora?" He voice raised as he stepped closer to me, literally forcing me to move up against the wall and trapping me there. He loomed over me, both hands braced on either side of my head. I found I couldn't look away from his piercing eyes. "What do I have to do in order for you to let something like that go? For you to realize that was in the past and I can't change something I regret? What is it going to take for you to see that it's something I'm not proud of?!"

"I…Riku, I-"

He wasn't done saying his piece. "I'm aware I made a huge mistake and now I'm reaping what I sow. Your death was almost the result and I hate myself for it every day now. But…if it hadn't happened, you would have never found me on that beach that day on your island. I wouldn't have ever ran out into that storm to get away from my stupidity and you and I would have never crossed paths.

"You wouldn't even be here, Sora. You would have no friends and the closest thing to a family and an actual home. You would have stayed there, stuck on that little island until your dying days and no one would have known or cared.

"So we're at a standstill here. I'm not going to stick around if you're not going to be open and honest. I won't make a single move until you do. If you decide that you want to go back to that pathetic, lonely island, I'll have someone take you back in a few days. If you want to stay, though, then you need to knock this off and start opening your mouth. Regardless, whatever happens between_ us_ is entirely up to you at this point. And I'm not a patient man, Sora."

I couldn't move or say anything as he stared back at me intensely for a moment before stepping away from me and leaving the room. I sank to the floor and sat there, unable to stand to my feet. It took me a few minutes to realize that I was crying.

* * *

**...awkward much? Or just really sad?**

**Throw Sora some hugs, guys. Maybe send out a few good vibes their way, too. These two need it.**

**Until the next chapter~!**


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